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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bank — of a river
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. clip — a video
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wax — to grow
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bank — for money
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bank — for money
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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