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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 120 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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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 · bank · bound · bay · bore · tear · season · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. clip — a video
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bank — for money
  4. bound — certain
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — to cut
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — tied together
  12. tear — from crying
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bank — of a river
  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