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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — for money
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — a box
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wound — an injury
  24. clip — a video

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