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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · branch · hide · key · band · fall · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. key — in music
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. band — a ring
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bank — for money
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fall — the season
  15. clip — for paper
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fall — to drop
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. key — for a lock
  22. branch — a division
  23. band — a music group
  24. fall — to drop

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