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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. board — to get on
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. board — a committee
  9. clip — for paper
  10. key — in music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rest — what's left
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rest — what's left
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bank — for money
  20. clip — to cut
  21. key — the most important part
  22. clip — a video
  23. bank — for money
  24. rest — a break

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