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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: pitcher · clip · cell · nail · ball · dip · lean · bore

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cell — in biology
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — a video
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bore — to tire
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — for paper

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