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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — for digging
  4. row — to paddle
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. drill — the tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bass — low music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bass — the fish
  15. drill — a practice
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bank — of a river
  23. clip — a video
  24. drill — army training

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