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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bank — of a river
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. root — of a plant
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. root — the cause
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. root — of a word
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitcher — a jug

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