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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stock — shares
  5. clip — a video
  6. mine — for digging
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stock — goods
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. root — the cause
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bank — for money
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. clip — for paper
  22. root — of a word
  23. clip — to cut
  24. hide — animal skin

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