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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 124 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. clip — for paper
  6. current — happening now
  7. bank — for money
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. clip — to cut
  14. current — of water
  15. clip — a video
  16. bank — of a river
  17. kick — in football
  18. current — electric
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bark — to shout
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bank — for money
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kick — with a leg

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