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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: clip · mate · foot · pound · bound · deal · nail · spring

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. mate — a partner
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. spring — the season
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. clip — a video
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — of water
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. spring — a coil
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mate — to breed
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bound — tied together
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — certain
  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