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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. present — there
  4. lean — to bend
  5. saw — the tool
  6. club — a group
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. present — the time now
  11. bank — for money
  12. lean — thin
  13. bank — of a river
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bank — for money
  17. club — for golf
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wound — an injury
  24. clip — for paper

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