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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 116 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: wound · bank · face · row · clip · snap · lean · staff

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — to cut
  4. staff — a stick
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. staff — employees
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. clip — a video
  12. bank — for money
  13. face — to confront
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. face — part of the head
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bank — for money
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — thin
  23. row — a line
  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