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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.

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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 · tube · snap · hand · season · ruler · lie · clip

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. tube — the underground
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hand — in cards
  4. clip — to cut
  5. season — of the year
  6. bank — of a river
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. season — in sport
  11. snap — to click
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hand — help
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tube — a container
  18. bank — for money
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bank — for money
  23. clip — a video
  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