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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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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 · clip · safe · bank · row · content · cap · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bore — to tire
  3. row — to paddle
  4. content — happy
  5. bore — to drill
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. content — the amount
  10. bank — of a river
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cap — a lid
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. row — a line
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. clip — to cut
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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