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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. track — a song
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. track — a path
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. capital — money
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. prune — to trim
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bank — of a river
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bank — for money
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — to keep track
  24. vault — a safe

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