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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: mug · fork · scale · hide · club · stick · pitcher · clip

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. club — a group
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mug — a cup
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — a face
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. scale — in music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mug — to rob
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. club — for dancing
  23. clip — for paper
  24. club — for golf

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