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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: roll · key · bear · capital · wave · trunk · bank · clip

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. key — in music
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bank — of a river
  7. key — for a lock
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bank — for money
  13. capital — a city
  14. roll — a list
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bear — the animal
  19. capital — money
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. clip — a video

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