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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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Word bank
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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. clip — to cut
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — to keep track
  6. branch — a division
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. perch — the fish
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. date — the fruit
  11. band — a music group
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. spell — letters
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — a song
  18. spell — magic
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. track — a path
  21. clip — a video
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. spell — a short time

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