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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. face — to confront
  3. bank — for money
  4. row — to paddle
  5. squash — the sport
  6. band — a music group
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — for paper
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. clip — a video
  11. band — a ring
  12. bank — of a river
  13. face — to point toward
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. row — a line
  17. face — part of the head
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. charge — a price
  24. squash — to crush

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