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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cue — for pool
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. clip — to cut
  6. kid — child
  7. clip — for paper
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. roll — a cake
  10. kid — to tease
  11. roll — a list
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bank — for money
  14. object — a thing
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — a video
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bank — of a river
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cue — a hint
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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