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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bank — for money
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bound — certain
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bound — tied together
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — a video
  24. bank — for money

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