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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · object · season · bat · mouse · mark · bank · clip

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. season — in sport
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. object — to protest
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. season — of the year
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. bank — for money
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. clip — for paper
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mark — a grade

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