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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bank — of a river
  7. hand — in cards
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bank — for money
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. clip — to cut
  14. hand — help
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bank — for money
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. clip — a video

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