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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.

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: bank · cap · clip · key · wound · craft · bound · bat

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bound — certain
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. clip — to cut
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bound — tied together
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. key — in music
  13. craft — boats
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bank — for money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bound — obliged
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bank — for money
  24. key — for a lock

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