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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: mark · nail · bulb · last · coach · land · snap · clip

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. last — to go on
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mark — a trace
  10. clip — a video
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. snap — to click
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. last — final
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. last — finally
  24. coach — a trainer

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