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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.

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 · ground · clip · tear · trunk · nail · wave · pitcher

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tear — to rip
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — a video
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. clip — to cut

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