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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: object · tube · dip · clip · nail · lie · content · last

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. last — final
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lie — to recline
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. clip — for paper
  13. content — the amount
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. dip — to sink
  17. object — to protest
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. object — an aim
  21. content — happy
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. object — a thing
  24. nail — on a finger

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