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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: bank · clip · lash · spell · chair · board · pound · file

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pound — a weight
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. spell — magic
  8. file — a document
  9. bank — for money
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. file — a tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bank — of a river
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. spell — a short time
  20. file — a line of people
  21. board — a committee
  22. spell — letters
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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