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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. fall — the season
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. roll — a cake
  5. clip — a video
  6. roll — a list
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bound — certain
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bank — for money
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bound — obliged

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