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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · bore · last · tear · clip · fan · straw · bank

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bore — to tire
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bank — for money
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bore — to drill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. scale — in music
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — a video
  23. bank — of a river
  24. last — final

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