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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: lash · nail · bass · cap · clip · wound · deal · present

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. deal — to handle
  3. present — a gift
  4. cap — a hat
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bass — the fish
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. present — the time now
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. present — there
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wound — an injury

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