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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — certain
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bank — for money
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. clip — to cut
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cold — an illness
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bound — obliged
  18. can — a tin
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — tied together
  24. clip — a video

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