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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. board — a committee
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — to drop
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — the season
  8. pop — soda
  9. spell — magic
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pop — music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spell — letters
  16. board — to get on
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — a video
  19. spell — a short time
  20. perch — the fish
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. march — music
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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