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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: mate · bank · chair · clip · ruler · charge · cold · nail

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. chair — a leader
  3. charge — in control
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bank — for money
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — a video
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bank — for money
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. clip — for paper
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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