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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. club — a group
  3. spell — magic
  4. bank — for money
  5. clip — a video
  6. firm — decided
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — for golf
  9. firm — a company
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. file — a document
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spell — letters
  23. firm — steady
  24. bulb — of a plant

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