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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — help
  7. object — a thing
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rock — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bound — tied together
  15. object — an aim
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bound — certain
  19. clip — a video
  20. bank — for money
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bound — obliged
  24. object — to protest

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