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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: rash · season · bank · clip · wind · prune · bear · fine

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. season — in sport
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. season — of the year
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. clip — a video
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. clip — for paper
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fine — all right
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. prune — the fruit

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