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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bank — for money
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bank — for money
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. chair — a leader
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rash — hasty
  10. content — happy
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bank — of a river
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — a series
  16. lie — to recline
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. content — the amount
  23. clip — a video
  24. lie — an untruth

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