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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bank — of a river
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. net — after costs
  5. clip — for paper
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bank — for money
  8. bear — the animal
  9. charge — a price
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bear — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. clip — to cut
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. net — in sport
  18. clip — a video
  19. march — music
  20. bank — for money
  21. charge — in control
  22. shower — rain
  23. charge — electricity
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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