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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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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — a video
  5. wake — a trail
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. shower — to wash
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bank — for money
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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