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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: prune · clip · charge · board · wound · bank · drill · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — a price
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bank — of a river
  8. prune — to trim
  9. clip — for paper
  10. drill — the tool
  11. board — to get on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wound — an injury
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. board — a committee
  17. drill — army training
  18. clip — a video
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. charge — in control

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