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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bank — for money
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bank — of a river
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. clip — a video
  15. scale — in music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. capital — money
  18. scale — size or range
  19. club — for golf
  20. clip — for paper
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. capital — a city

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