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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. clip — for paper
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bank — for money
  9. tear — from crying
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mine — for digging
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bank — for money
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. clip — a video
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. snap — to click

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