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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: mate · bank · ball · ruler · rest · roll · clip · tube

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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 — of a river
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bank — for money
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ball — a great time
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bank — for money
  18. tube — a container
  19. roll — a list
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. rest — what's left
  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