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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. content — the amount
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — a video
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bank — for money
  13. fall — the season
  14. clip — to cut
  15. race — the arms race
  16. content — happy
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. band — a music group

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