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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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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: scale · clip · bulb · deal · bank · tear · drill · fine

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bank — for money
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. scale — size or range
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fine — high quality
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. scale — in music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bank — for money
  15. tear — from crying
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fine — all right
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bank — of a river
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. clip — a video

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