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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. board — to get on
  3. bank — for money
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. band — a ring
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bank — for money
  8. mug — a face
  9. board — a committee
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. clip — a video
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wind — moving air
  17. band — a music group
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mug — to rob
  24. clip — for paper

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