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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bank — of a river
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. clip — a video
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wound — an injury

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