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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. clip — to cut
  3. present — there
  4. bank — for money
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. present — a gift
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. present — the time now
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. clip — for paper
  12. content — the amount
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. kid — child
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. content — happy
  18. clip — a video
  19. current — electric
  20. kid — to tease
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bank — for money
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bank — of a river

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