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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: cabinet · clip · stick · fine · rash · bank · cell · key

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fine — all right
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cell — in biology
  5. clip — a video
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — a series
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bank — for money
  14. clip — to cut
  15. key — in music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bank — for money
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. key — for a lock

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