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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: clip · rock · bank · bat · club · plane · pitch · current

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rock — music
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. pitch — completely
  15. current — happening now
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rock — a stone
  19. clip — for paper
  20. club — for golf
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. club — a group
  23. clip — a video
  24. bat — the animal

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