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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: clip · racket · wound · rush · cue · shower · bear · bank

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bank — for money
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. shower — to wash
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bear — the animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. shower — rain

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