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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. shower — rain
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — a video
  5. spell — letters
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pop — soda
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. bank — for money
  16. spell — magic
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bank — of a river

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