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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. bank — for money
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bat — the animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bank — for money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a cup
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mug — a face
  22. chair — a leader
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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