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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 · ball · bank · key · saw · jam · date · trunk

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ball — a great time
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. key — the most important part
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bank — for money
  14. key — in music
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. ball — a dance
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. clip — a video
  23. key — for a lock
  24. ball — a round shape

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