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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: spring · bank · clip · file · bear · calf · bay · lie

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — the season
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. spring — of water
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — a video
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bear — the animal

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