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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bank — of a river
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. clip — a video
  8. field — a subject
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bank — for money
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. field — for sport
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bank — for money
  23. stand — to bear
  24. field — farmland

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