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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: spring · pit · nail · clip · mouse · deal · can · hand

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. deal — to handle
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. clip — a video
  6. pit — a hole
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hand — in cards
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. hand — help
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. can — a tin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. spring — of water
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — in a race
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. spring — a coil
  24. can — a tin

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