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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. shower — to wash
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cue — a hint
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bank — for money
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. clip — a video
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hand — help

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