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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. press — to push
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mate — a partner
  9. clip — for paper
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mate — to breed
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. clip — a video
  15. tear — from crying
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bank — of a river
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bank — for money
  23. press — a publisher
  24. hand — in cards

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