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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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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 · land · dip · chip · bank · stick · perch · clip

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. land — a country
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. clip — for paper
  7. land — to come down
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bank — for money
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. clip — to cut
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bank — of a river
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bank — for money
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. land — ground
  22. clip — a video
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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