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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bank — for money
  3. clip — for paper
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bank — of a river
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — after costs
  22. degree — temperature
  23. prune — to trim
  24. saw — the tool

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