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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bear — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bank — of a river
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chest — a box
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hand — help
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cap — a hat
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cap — a lid
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bear — the animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cap — of ice

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