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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: bass · date · march · hand · board · pass · bank · clip

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. march — music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bass — low music
  5. hand — help
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. board — a committee
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. date — the fruit
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bank — of a river
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. march — the month
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — the month
  18. bank — for money
  19. bass — the fish
  20. board — to get on
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. date — on the calendar

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