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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: foot · dip · field · jam · land · clip · cue · bank

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cue — a hint
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bank — of a river
  5. clip — a video
  6. cue — a signal
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bank — for money
  9. land — ground
  10. clip — for paper
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cue — for pool
  13. dip — to sink
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. field — farmland
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. field — for sport
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. clip — to cut
  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