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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: kid · land · game · bank · clip · hide · foot · straw

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. game — a match
  6. bank — for money
  7. land — to come down
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bank — for money
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. clip — a video
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. land — ground
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bank — of a river
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — a country
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. game — wild animals
  22. kid — to tease
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. foot — a measure

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