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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bank — of a river
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bank — for money
  8. rash — a series
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — certain
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — tied together
  24. clip — for paper

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