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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — a video
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. clip — for paper
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. bank — for money
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cold — not warm
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. net — after costs
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cold — an illness
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rest — a break
  21. tube — a container
  22. net — for catching
  23. tube — the underground
  24. clip — to cut

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