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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. bank — for money
  5. kid — child
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bass — low music
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. can — to be able to
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a skill
  15. can — a tin
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bank — for money
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bound — tied together
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bound — certain
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bank — of a river

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