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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bank — for money
  3. clip — to cut
  4. scale — in music
  5. bank — for money
  6. wind — moving air
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. scale — size or range
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wind — moving air
  16. perch — the fish
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit

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