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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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 — a video
  2. rest — a break
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bank — for money
  6. clip — to cut
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — from a university
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bank — of a river
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bank — for money
  19. bass — low music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bass — the instrument
  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