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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bank — of a river
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hand — in cards
  7. shower — rain
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mug — a face
  10. bank — for money
  11. mug — to rob
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mug — a cup
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — a video
  22. hand — help
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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