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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.

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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: deal · pound · branch · fan · nail · drill · clip · mug

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. clip — a video
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — to rob
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — to cut
  9. drill — army training
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. clip — for paper
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. branch — a division
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pound — a weight
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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