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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rule — a law
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. clip — a video
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mug — a cup
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. shower — rain
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bank — for money
  19. mug — a face
  20. rule — government
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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