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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — a video
  15. season — of the year
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. season — in sport
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bank — for money
  24. foot — part of the body

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