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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bank — for money
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — a video
  8. snap — to click
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. branch — a division
  14. bank — for money
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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