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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bank — for money
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bank — of a river
  5. track — a path
  6. perch — the fish
  7. rest — a break
  8. clip — a video
  9. bank — for money
  10. file — a tool
  11. track — to keep track
  12. land — ground
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. land — a country
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. track — a song
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rest — what's left
  21. land — to come down
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a document

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