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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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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: leaves · spell · content · rest · bank · march · clip · root

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bank — of a river
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. root — of a word
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. root — the cause
  9. content — the amount
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rest — a break
  12. bank — for money
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rest — what's left
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a plant
  22. content — happy
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — the month

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