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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: date · rock · bank · racket · clip · fall · tube · bore

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fall — to drop
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fall — to drop
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. clip — for paper
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rock — music
  12. fall — the season
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bank — for money
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. clip — a video
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bank — of a river
  21. tube — a container
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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