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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 124 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bank — for money
  3. club — a group
  4. clip — to cut
  5. swing — to play on
  6. club — for golf
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. clip — for paper
  9. suit — to fit
  10. swing — music
  11. clip — a video
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bank — of a river
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bank — for money
  20. suit — in cards
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wind — moving air
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wax — to grow

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