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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bank — for money
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cue — a signal
  7. net — after costs
  8. bank — of a river
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wake — a trail
  12. snap — to click
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. bound — obliged
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. clip — a video
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bank — for money

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