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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 120 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: season · pass · wind · bank · clip · face · lean · racket

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. face — part of the head
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — for paper
  14. season — of the year
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. lean — thin
  19. clip — a video
  20. season — in sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. pass — a permit
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pass — to spend time

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