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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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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: trunk · bank · mate · safe · wind · mouse · pass · clip

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bank — for money
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — a video
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. trunk — of a tree

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