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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · snap · hide · mark · chip · pitcher · nail · clip

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — for paper
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chip — to eat
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. clip — to cut
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chip — for betting
  13. clip — a video
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mark — a grade
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com