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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. bank — for money
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bank — of a river
  10. capital — a city
  11. field — for sport
  12. rash — a series
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. clip — a video
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. capital — money
  19. rash — hasty
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bank — for money
  22. field — farmland
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fan — a supporter

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