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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: bank · perch · roll · sharp · season · wax · clip · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. sharp — clever
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. perch — the fish
  5. clip — for paper
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bank — for money
  9. roll — a list
  10. bank — of a river
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. board — a committee
  14. season — of the year
  15. wax — to grow
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. roll — a cake
  18. clip — a video
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bank — for money
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. perch — for a bird

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