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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: spring · content · coach · file · safe · spell · bank · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. file — a line of people
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. spring — of water
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — the season
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — for paper
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spring — a coil
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bank — for money
  14. spell — letters
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. file — a document
  17. spell — a short time
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. file — a tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bank — of a river

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