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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. clip — a video
  3. bank — for money
  4. spring — of water
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spring — a coil
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. spring — the season
  10. kid — to tease
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bank — of a river
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — to cut
  19. kid — child
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lie — to recline
  24. can — to be able to

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