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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: clip · bank · board · bear · dip · tear · cabinet · bound

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. bank — for money
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. board — to get on
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. clip — to cut
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bound — tied together
  17. board — a committee
  18. bear — the animal
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. clip — a video
  22. bank — for money
  23. dip — a sauce
  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