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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
468
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: nail · hand · stick · season · rock · rest · clip · cap

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. season — of the year
  4. cap — a hat
  5. hand — help
  6. rock — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rest — what's left
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. season — in sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rock — a stone

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