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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 116 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
468
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: deal · bear · last · clip · spring · track · bank · stick

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. clip — to cut
  3. track — a song
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. deal — to handle
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spring — a coil
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. bear — the animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. bank — of a river
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — the season
  22. last — final
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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