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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 120 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: fall · fine · wound · swing · bass · bank · hide · clip

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wound — an injury
  7. swing — music
  8. clip — for paper
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bass — low music
  14. clip — a video
  15. bank — for money
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. fall — the season
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bank — for money
  23. swing — in golf
  24. fine — all right

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