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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. present — the time now
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. present — a gift
  7. last — final
  8. bound — tied together
  9. clip — a video
  10. last — finally
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bound — certain
  16. present — there
  17. last — to go on
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — obliged
  22. clip — to cut
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hand — part of the body

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