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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. track — a song
  3. clip — a video
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chest — a box
  9. clip — for paper
  10. track — a path
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stock — goods
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. bass — low music
  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