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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: clip · dip · bank · rock · plane · pitcher · chair · court

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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. plane — in geometry
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of a king
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. court — for sport
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rock — music
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. plane — a tool
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. court — of law
  24. rock — a stone

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