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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 116 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: shower · bank · rock · charge · wax · clip · last · object

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — to go on
  5. shower — rain
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. object — a thing
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. last — final
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bank — for money
  15. object — an aim
  16. last — finally
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. object — to protest
  22. rock — a stone
  23. charge — electricity
  24. clip — a video

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