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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: bore · swing · clip · bank · bat · wake · lie · cue

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — a video
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wake — a trail
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bank — for money
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cue — for pool
  15. swing — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. lie — to recline

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