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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: band · pass · saw · clip · shower · net · bank · sharp

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bank — for money
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. net — after costs
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — in sport
  10. bank — of a river
  11. band — a music group
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — rain
  14. clip — to cut
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — for catching
  17. pass — a permit
  18. clip — for paper
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. clip — a video
  21. sharp — clever
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. shower — to wash
  24. band — a ring

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