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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: hand · clip · scale · lash · pitch · leaves · nail · dip

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. clip — to cut
  3. scale — in music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — in cards
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hand — help
  14. pitch — completely
  15. dip — to sink
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. dip — a sauce
  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