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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bank — of a river
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rash — hasty
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rash — a series
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lean — to bend
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. court — of law
  19. foot — a measure
  20. branch — a division
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lean — thin
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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