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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — to cut
  4. dip — to sink
  5. spring — of water
  6. bank — of a river
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chest — of your body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. board — to get on
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chest — a box
  16. spring — the season
  17. bank — for money
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bank — for money
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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