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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bank — for money
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — a video
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. band — a music group
  7. bank — for money
  8. bulb — for light
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bank — of a river
  12. swing — to play on
  13. clip — to cut
  14. swing — in golf
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bulb — for light
  21. swing — music
  22. toast — bread
  23. band — a ring
  24. bulb — of a plant

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