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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: net · deal · cue · bark · straw · nail · clip · temple

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. clip — a video
  8. cue — a signal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. net — for catching
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. clip — to cut
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bark — to shout
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. cue — a hint
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cue — for pool

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