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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. clip — a video
  4. object — a thing
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. charge — electricity
  9. object — an aim
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — child
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. object — to protest
  14. bank — for money
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bank — for money
  17. charge — a price
  18. clip — for paper
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — to cut
  21. charge — in control
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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