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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 · stick · pitcher · spring · wind · drill · cap · bank

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. drill — army training
  3. spring — of water
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cap — a lid
  14. spring — the season
  15. bank — of a river
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. clip — a video
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. clip — to cut

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