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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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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: court · clip · stem · straw · key · calf · bank · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. key — in music
  3. bank — for money
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stem — to come from
  7. court — of law
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bank — for money
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. clip — a video
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. key — for a lock
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bank — of a river
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. clip — for paper

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