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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. clip — a video
  8. bass — low music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. craft — boats
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bank — of a river
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. craft — a skill
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bass — the fish
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bank — for money
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. can — to be able to
  24. clip — to cut

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