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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 120 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.

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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: snap · present · fan · nail · bat · club · clip · bark

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — a video
  4. bat — the animal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. present — there
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. club — a group
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. present — a gift
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bark — to shout
  19. present — the time now
  20. club — for golf
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. snap — to click

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