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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bank — for money
  5. fine — all right
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. clip — a video
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mug — a face
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mine — for digging
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mug — to rob

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