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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. season — of the year
  3. firm — steady
  4. clip — to cut
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. club — for golf
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. firm — a company
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. firm — decided
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. club — a group
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bank — of a river
  22. club — for dancing
  23. saw — the tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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