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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. fine — high quality
  5. clip — a video
  6. root — of a plant
  7. clip — for paper
  8. land — ground
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. net — after costs
  11. land — a country
  12. root — of a word
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. land — to come down
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fine — all right
  23. root — the cause
  24. hide — to keep secret

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