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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. drill — a practice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. current — happening now
  7. bank — for money
  8. present — there
  9. drill — the tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. current — electric
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. capital — a city
  16. bank — of a river
  17. clip — a video
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. drill — army training
  21. spring — the season
  22. current — of water
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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