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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. hand — help
  3. vault — a safe
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. game — a match
  6. clip — a video
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mug — a face
  10. bank — for money
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bank — for money
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. clip — to cut
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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