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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: clip · bat · kid · staff · bass · net · bowl · bank

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. staff — employees
  3. net — after costs
  4. bank — for money
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. staff — employees
  11. net — in sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. staff — a stick
  14. kid — child
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. net — for catching
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bass — low music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bass — the instrument

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