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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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 — of a river
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. track — a song
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bank — for money
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. track — a path
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — to cut
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mine — for digging
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — for paper
  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