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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.

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: hide · rash · fan · clip · pound · bank · ground · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Hold the papers together 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. cue — a hint
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cue — for pool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. clip — a video
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rash — a series
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bank — for money
  13. ground — a position
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bank — for money
  16. pound — a weight
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. clip — for paper
  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