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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rule — government
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. net — after costs
  6. bank — for money
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. object — an aim
  11. last — to go on
  12. bank — of a river
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bank — for money
  15. object — a thing
  16. clip — a video
  17. last — finally
  18. net — in sport
  19. last — final
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. net — for catching
  23. object — to protest
  24. patient — a sick person

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