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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chip — to eat
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rule — government
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. root — of a word
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rule — a law
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. root — the cause
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. clip — a video
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chip — for betting
  24. calf — a young animal

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