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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — for sport
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. clip — for paper
  6. field — a subject
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bank — for money
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bank — of a river
  14. capital — a city
  15. bore — to tire
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chip — for betting
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. bore — to drill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. clip — a video
  24. foot — the bottom

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