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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 120 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mark — a trace
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. season — in sport
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. craft — boats
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. clip — for paper
  14. craft — a skill
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — wild animals
  18. season — of the year
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mark — a grade
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — a match

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