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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: bank · mate · kid · clip · hide · key · bound · bore

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mate — to breed
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — tied together
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kid — child
  15. bore — to drill
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bound — certain
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kid — to tease
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. key — in music

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