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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. clip — a video
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. perch — the fish
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitch — completely
  16. clip — to cut
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bank — for money
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — after costs
  23. bank — for money
  24. mine — for digging

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