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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bank — of a river
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bear — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. clip — a video
  10. bank — for money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. bank — for money
  14. present — a gift
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. present — there
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wound — an injury
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kick — in football
  24. nail — for a hammer

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