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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · game · mug · bank · snap · fall

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bank — for money
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. clip — to cut
  5. game — a match
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fall — to drop
  12. snap — to click
  13. game — wild animals
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. bank — for money

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