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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. spell — letters
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. clip — a video
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — to cut
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — a short time
  13. march — music
  14. bank — for money
  15. spell — magic
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — for paper
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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