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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 120 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: straw · staff · band · tube · clip · nail · snap · ground

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. staff — employees
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. tube — a container
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. staff — a stick
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. band — a ring
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tube — the underground
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. ground — a position
  19. snap — to click
  20. ground — crushed
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. clip — for paper
  23. staff — employees
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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