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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — for money
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. clip — a video
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — in golf
  13. clip — to cut
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — in sport
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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