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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. track — a path
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. can — a tin
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. can — a tin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bank — of a river
  13. rock — music
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rock — a stone
  20. track — a song
  21. bank — for money
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bank — for money
  24. racket — for tennis

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