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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. track — a path
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. clip — for paper
  6. track — to keep track
  7. march — music
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. clip — a video
  11. pop — music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. march — the month
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. track — a song
  17. pop — soda
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — to visit
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chair — to sit on

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