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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 · band · swing · can · bank · trunk · bay · mate

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bank — for money
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mate — to breed
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — to play on
  13. clip — a video
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a music group
  16. bank — of a river
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bank — for money
  20. swing — music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. swing — in golf
  23. can — to be able to
  24. clip — to cut

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