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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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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: squash · clip · dip · rest · snap · drill · deal · lean

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rest — what's left
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. lean — thin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. snap — to click
  9. deal — to handle
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. dip — to sink
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rest — what's left
  17. drill — the tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lean — to bend
  20. drill — army training
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rest — a break
  24. lean — to rest against

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