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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. track — a path
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bank — of a river
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stand — to bear
  12. swing — music
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. clip — for paper
  15. track — a song
  16. hand — help
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bank — for money
  24. track — to keep track

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