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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: net · dip · wake · nail · pitcher · staff · clip · bear

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — to sink
  4. clip — for paper
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — after costs
  10. staff — a stick
  11. net — in sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. net — for catching
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bear — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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