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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.

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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bank — for money
  9. court — for sport
  10. chip — for betting
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. court — of law
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. clip — a video
  17. court — of a king
  18. wound — an injury

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