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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: mouse · chair · bank · lie · roll · clip · wound · season

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. clip — a video
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. chair — a leader
  5. clip — to cut
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. roll — a list
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bank — for money
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — in sport
  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