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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mate — a partner
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rule — a law
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. clip — a video
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bank — for money
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rule — government
  19. mate — a friend
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bank — of a river
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stand — for spectators

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