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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. board — a committee
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bank — of a river
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. chair — a leader
  12. clip — a video
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mine — for digging
  20. board — to get on
  21. wax — to grow
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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