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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. clip — a video
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bass — the fish
  11. degree — from a university
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bark — to shout
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bank — for money
  19. bass — low music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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