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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. object — an aim
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bank — for money
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bank — for money
  9. branch — a division
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. object — a thing
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mug — a face
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — to breed
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cold — not warm
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. clip — a video

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