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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — a video
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tube — the underground
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. present — there
  8. bank — for money
  9. field — farmland
  10. clip — to cut
  11. present — a gift
  12. field — for sport
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tube — a container
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. key — for a lock
  18. field — a subject
  19. key — in music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bank — for money
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bank — of a river
  24. present — the time now

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