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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — a video
  5. track — to keep track
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bank — for money
  12. cap — a lid
  13. track — a song
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. track — a path
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. wax — to grow

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