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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bank — for money
  3. mate — to breed
  4. tube — a container
  5. spell — letters
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bank — for money
  8. tube — the underground
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spell — a short time
  12. march — music
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bank — of a river
  15. clip — a video
  16. land — to come down
  17. mate — a partner
  18. land — a country
  19. march — the month
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spell — magic
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. land — ground
  24. clip — for paper

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