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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. last — to go on
  9. content — happy
  10. last — finally
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. clip — for paper
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. craft — boats
  16. last — final
  17. craft — a skill
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. clip — to cut
  20. plane — a tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. clip — a video
  23. dip — a sauce
  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