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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — a video
  3. stock — shares
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bank — of a river
  7. object — an aim
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. object — a thing
  14. present — there
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. present — the time now
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stock — goods
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bank — for money
  24. present — a gift

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