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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · content · chest · bear · pitcher · clip · arm · bank

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bank — for money
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bank — for money
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. content — happy
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — a box
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chest — of your body
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. content — the amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. clip — a video

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