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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 · nail · wind · charge · arm · mark · firm · spring

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. firm — decided
  6. charge — electricity
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. charge — in control
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spring — a coil
  12. clip — a video
  13. spring — of water
  14. charge — a price
  15. firm — steady
  16. spring — the season
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. firm — a company
  23. clip — for paper
  24. nail — on a finger

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