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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: bank · clip · roll · charge · court · row · mine · fine

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. court — of a king
  6. bank — of a river
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fine — all right
  9. court — for sport
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fine — high quality
  12. charge — a price
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. row — a line
  15. charge — in control
  16. mine — for digging
  17. charge — electricity
  18. roll — a cake
  19. court — of law
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. roll — a list
  23. row — to paddle
  24. clip — for paper

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