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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bank — for money
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bank — of a river
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — to shout
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. clip — to cut
  11. face — to confront
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spell — magic
  17. clip — a video
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spell — a short time
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bank — for money

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