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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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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: key · nail · cue · clip · tear · cap · prune · hide

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. clip — a video
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — for paper
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — a hat
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cap — of ice
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cue — for pool
  17. key — the most important part
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — in music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cue — a signal
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cue — a hint

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