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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. bank — for money
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. bank — for money
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. march — music
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bank — of a river
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. club — for golf

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