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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: fine · nail · saw · clip · bear · bank · rule · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — for paper
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chest — a box
  14. bear — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rule — a law
  17. fine — all right
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. clip — a video
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fine — high quality
  23. clip — to cut
  24. saw — the tool

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