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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bank — for money
  4. field — farmland
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. lie — to recline
  8. current — electric
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. current — of water
  11. bank — for money
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. can — a tin
  17. field — a subject
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. current — happening now
  21. kick — in football
  22. can — to be able to
  23. clip — for paper
  24. field — for sport

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