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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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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 · club · bank · drill · staff · cue · rest · nail

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. clip — to cut
  5. staff — a stick
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. club — for golf
  9. rest — what's left
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — a video
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — a group
  15. staff — employees
  16. drill — army training
  17. rest — a break
  18. drill — a practice
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cue — a signal
  22. staff — employees
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bank — for money

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