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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. clip — a video
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — temperature
  5. spell — letters
  6. degree — an amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. clip — for paper
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bank — for money
  11. spell — a short time
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bank — for money
  24. pass — a permit

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