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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 124 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. object — an aim
  2. bear — the animal
  3. face — to confront
  4. clip — to cut
  5. file — a document
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. object — to protest
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. file — a tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. object — a thing
  17. clip — for paper
  18. craft — boats
  19. face — part of the head
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bank — of a river
  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