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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cold — an illness
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bound — tied together
  6. land — to come down
  7. bound — certain
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. clip — a video
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. clip — for paper
  13. land — a country
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bank — for money
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. plane — a tool
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bank — of a river
  23. land — ground
  24. plane — in geometry

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