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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bank — of a river
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. foot — a measure
  8. hand — help
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stock — goods
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cap — a hat
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stock — shares
  24. cap — of ice

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