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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lean — to bend
  7. craft — boats
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. clip — to cut
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. hide — to keep secret

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