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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a ring
  4. clip — to cut
  5. root — the cause
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — to keep track
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. key — in music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. band — a music group
  14. clip — for paper
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bank — for money
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bass — low music
  24. key — the most important part

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