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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. spell — magic
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spring — the season
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — for paper
  10. club — for golf
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. spring — of water
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. clip — a video
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. club — a group
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mate — a friend
  22. spell — letters
  23. spring — a coil
  24. scale — for weighing

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