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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: season · mug · spell · bass · bank · temple · prune · clip

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mug — a face
  3. spell — magic
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — in sport
  9. bass — the fish
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bank — for money
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spell — letters
  22. mug — to rob
  23. clip — to cut
  24. season — of the year

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