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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. field — for sport
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — a song
  11. clip — a video
  12. track — a path
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. field — farmland
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. rest — a break
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. field — a subject
  22. clip — to cut
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bark — of a tree

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