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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — a video
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bank — of a river
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — the animal

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