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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pop — soda
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fall — the season
  11. bank — for money
  12. clip — for paper
  13. charge — a price
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pop — music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pop — to visit
  18. clip — a video
  19. charge — in control
  20. row — a line
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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