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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: bear · clip · bank · craft · wound · rock · charge · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bank — for money
  5. charge — electricity
  6. clip — a video
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bank — of a river
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. file — a document
  19. rock — music
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a skill
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rock — to move gently

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