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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. press — to push
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — hasty
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rash — a series
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — for paper
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bank — for money
  17. lie — to recline
  18. press — a publisher
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bank — of a river
  23. swing — music
  24. clip — a video

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