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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. file — a line of people
  3. hand — help
  4. pound — a weight
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a document
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. dip — to sink
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. nail — for a hammer

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