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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a document
  5. clip — a video
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. file — a tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. clip — to cut
  11. last — final
  12. key — in music
  13. last — to go on
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. last — finally
  18. bank — of a river
  19. key — for a lock
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a line of people

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