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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: pound · bank · key · lie · clip · stock · toast · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bank — for money
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. key — in music
  13. content — the amount
  14. stock — goods
  15. toast — bread
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bank — for money
  18. lie — to recline
  19. clip — for paper
  20. content — happy
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. clip — a video
  23. bank — of a river
  24. toast — the most admired

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