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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bank — of a river
  3. key — in music
  4. clip — a video
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bank — for money
  8. hand — help
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mine — for digging
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pitch — a sports field

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