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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bank — for money
  3. staff — employees
  4. can — a tin
  5. bank — of a river
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bore — to drill
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. staff — employees
  14. can — a tin
  15. bank — for money
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. last — final
  18. staff — a stick
  19. clip — a video
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bore — to tire
  22. last — finally
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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