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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.

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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: kick · cue · patient · clip · fine · net · bank · craft

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bank — of a river
  3. craft — a skill
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cue — for pool
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fine — all right
  9. net — in sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. kick — in football
  12. fine — high quality
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bank — for money
  15. cue — a signal
  16. craft — boats
  17. cue — a hint
  18. net — after costs
  19. bank — for money
  20. net — for catching
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — a video
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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