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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 116 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: clip · rush · present · bank · nail · game · dip · ruler

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bank — for money
  5. present — a gift
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bank — of a river
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bank — for money
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. dip — to sink
  20. present — there
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. present — the time now
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. clip — for paper

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