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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: game · bank · row · dip · kick · clip · mouse · arm

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bank — for money
  4. row — a line
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — for paper
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. game — a match
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kick — in football
  24. game — wild animals

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