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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — farmland
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — certain
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. plane — a tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bank — of a river
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. bank — for money

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