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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: clip · key · fine · bark · pop · march · mine · bank

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pop — soda
  3. clip — a video
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. march — the month
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pop — to visit
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fine — all right
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bank — for money
  20. key — for a lock
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pop — music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bark — to shout

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