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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — for digging
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. suit — in cards
  8. net — for catching
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. net — after costs
  12. bank — for money
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. suit — clothes
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. suit — to fit
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bank — of a river

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