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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: rush · clip · track · sharp · squash · bank · rest · wound

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bank — of a river
  12. squash — to crush
  13. sharp — clever
  14. clip — a video
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rest — a break
  18. wound — an injury
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bank — for money
  21. clip — to cut
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bank — for money
  24. squash — the vegetable

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