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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. clip — to cut
  4. court — of law
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bank — for money
  9. spring — the season
  10. clip — a video
  11. snap — to click
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. court — for sport
  14. spring — a coil
  15. court — of a king
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — of water
  19. rash — hasty
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bank — for money
  23. stand — to bear
  24. plane — a 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