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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 116 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. clip — a video
  3. bank — of a river
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. clip — to cut
  7. craft — boats
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bank — for money
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wound — an injury
  22. clip — for paper
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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