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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. club — for golf
  9. pop — music
  10. clip — to cut
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hand — in cards
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pop — soda
  20. clip — a video
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. hand — help
  23. bank — for money
  24. saw — the tool

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