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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bank — for money
  3. track — a path
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. board — a committee
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. land — to come down
  10. spell — letters
  11. track — a song
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. spell — magic
  15. land — ground
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. track — to keep track
  22. board — to get on
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fine — a penalty

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