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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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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 · court · bank · mouse · stand · pound · bear · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. pound — a weight
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. court — of law
  10. bank — for money
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — a video
  13. court — of a king
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bank — for money
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bank — of a river

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