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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. drill — the tool
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bank — for money
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mate — a friend
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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