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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 · scale · leaves · bank · jam · season · roll · tear

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bank — for money
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — from crying
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — for paper
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. season — of the year
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bank — of a river
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. clip — a video
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. season — in sport

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