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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: pitcher · pass · lash · chest · object · nail · clip · band

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pass — a permit
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. object — to protest
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. clip — a video
  14. chest — of your body
  15. band — a ring
  16. object — a thing
  17. clip — for paper
  18. chest — a box
  19. band — a music group
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. object — an aim

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