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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 120 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 · cabinet · kick · straw · content · nail · stick · bank

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. bank — for money
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — happy
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. kick — in football
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. content — the amount
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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