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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: ground · roll · bank · file · perch · sharp · court · clip

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. perch — the fish
  3. court — of a king
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. clip — for paper
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ground — the earth
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. court — of law
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. court — for sport
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bank — for money
  16. ground — a position
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bank — for money
  19. roll — a cake
  20. ground — crushed
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. clip — a video
  23. sharp — clever
  24. perch — for a bird

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