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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. charge — a price
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stem — to come from
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. clip — to cut
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kick — in football
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — in control
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. bank — for money
  24. bear — the animal

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