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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. season — of the year
  3. bank — for money
  4. season — in sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. charge — in control
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bank — of a river
  14. branch — a division
  15. charge — a price
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. present — the time now
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. present — a gift
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. present — there

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