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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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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: perch · clip · date · scale · bank · wind · mark · vault

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. clip — for paper
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — a grade
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mark — a trace
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bank — for money
  13. clip — to cut
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. clip — a video
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. vault — a safe
  20. date — the fruit
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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