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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 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. rush — hurry
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — of a river
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. clip — a video
  15. field — farmland
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — to tease
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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