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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — a video
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. tube — a container
  16. bank — of a river
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. kick — in football
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. tear — to rip
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. clip — for paper

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