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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: clip · tear · arm · mouse · pitcher · foot · shower · nail

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. clip — a video
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tear — from crying
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitcher — a jug

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