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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — to cut
  4. plane — a tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. squash — the sport
  9. ground — crushed
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ground — a position
  12. clip — a video
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — a stone
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bank — for money
  24. tear — from crying

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