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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bank — for money
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. field — a subject
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. roll — a cake
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rash — a series
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. clip — a video
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — farmland
  18. row — a line
  19. field — for sport
  20. clip — to cut
  21. roll — a list
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bank — of a river
  24. clip — for paper

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