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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. clip — for paper
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bank — for money
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. swing — in golf
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. clip — to cut
  17. swing — to play on
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bank — for money

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