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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 116 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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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: clip · bay · land · current · nail · prune · dip · pitch

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. land — ground
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitch — completely
  6. current — happening now
  7. dip — to sink
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. current — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. land — to come down
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. clip — for paper
  17. current — electric
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. land — a country
  24. dip — a sauce

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