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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 116 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: plane · drill · suit · season · pitcher · bank · pop · clip

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pop — music
  3. season — of the year
  4. drill — army training
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pop — to visit
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pop — soda
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — for money
  16. drill — a practice
  17. clip — a video
  18. suit — clothes
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. plane — a tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. clip — for paper

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