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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — to go on
  5. cue — a hint
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cue — a signal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. clip — a video
  12. bank — for money
  13. game — wild animals
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. last — finally
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — final
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bank — of a river
  23. game — a match
  24. prune — to trim

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