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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: mug · mine · bank · clip · bass · perch · wound · last

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bank — for money
  3. bass — low music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mug — a face
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. last — to go on
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. last — finally
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. wound — an injury
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. last — final
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mug — to rob

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