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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 120 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: rush · bank · land · clip · leaves · pop · court · safe

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pop — soda
  7. land — to come down
  8. pop — music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. land — ground
  12. bank — for money
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. court — for sport
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. land — a country
  18. court — of a king
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pop — to visit

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