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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. land — a country
  3. degree — temperature
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — from a university
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. clip — for paper
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. land — to come down
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — an amount
  16. clip — a video
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bank — of a river
  22. land — ground
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. snap — to click

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