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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bank — for money
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. clip — to cut
  8. court — for sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. court — of a king
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. capital — a city
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bank — for money
  21. court — of law
  22. plane — a tool
  23. clip — a video
  24. stem — to come from

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