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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: hide · clip · lie · field · nail · staff · bear · mine

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. staff — employees
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lie — to recline
  8. field — farmland
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. clip — a video
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — for sport
  20. clip — to cut
  21. field — a subject
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. nail — for a hammer

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