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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: clip · tube · lean · suit · kid · wound · bank · mate

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lean — thin
  3. suit — clothes
  4. tube — a container
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mate — a friend
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to bend
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mate — a partner
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bank — for money
  20. clip — a video
  21. wound — an injury
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bank — for money
  24. tube — in a tire

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