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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stem — to come from
  4. swing — music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. present — there
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. present — a gift
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bank — of a river
  21. present — the time now
  22. saw — the tool
  23. swing — in golf
  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