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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. court — for sport
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. row — a line
  6. court — of a king
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bank — for money
  10. lean — to bend
  11. clip — to cut
  12. spell — letters
  13. clip — a video
  14. spell — magic
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. band — a music group
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. lean — thin
  20. clip — for paper
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. band — a ring
  24. court — of law

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