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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: pitcher · wake · roll · suit · clip · shower · spring · bank

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bank — for money
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bank — of a river
  6. roll — a list
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — to cut
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — a trail
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. suit — to fit

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