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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · rock · bank · bat · club · plane

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. 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. club — a group
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rock — music
  7. clip — to cut
  8. club — for golf
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bank — for money
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. clip — a video
  18. 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