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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. clip — for paper
  3. deal — to handle
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. squash — to crush
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bank — for money
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — not warm

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