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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · bank · saw · dip · march · drill · clip · snap

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. dip — to sink
  3. march — the month
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bank — for money
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. saw — the tool
  11. drill — the tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. saw — the tool
  14. clip — a video
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. drill — a practice
  17. march — music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. bank — of a river
  21. drill — army training
  22. bank — for money
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a dance

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