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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 116 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — the season
  7. board — a committee
  8. bank — of a river
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. clip — for paper
  12. track — a path
  13. spring — of water
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bank — for money
  18. stock — goods
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stock — shares
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. track — a song
  24. bank — for money

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