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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rock — a stone
  5. capital — money
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rock — music
  8. clip — a video
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. clip — for paper
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bank — for money
  18. perch — the fish
  19. capital — a city
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. perch — for a bird

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