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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: bank · fall · sharp · mug · hide · kid · wake · clip

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fall — the season
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bank — for money
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mug — to rob
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — child
  18. mug — a face
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bank — of a river
  23. kid — to tease
  24. hide — to keep secret

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