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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: prune · pitch · cabinet · clip · nail · fall · lie · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. land — to come down
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lie — to recline
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fall — to drop
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. land — a country

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