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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pop — to visit
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pop — music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pop — soda
  14. cell — in biology
  15. clip — a video
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. staff — employees
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. face — part of the head
  22. clip — for paper
  23. key — the most important part
  24. face — to confront

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