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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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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: bank · board · cabinet · fall · pop · spell · content · clip

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bank — for money
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — a short time
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. content — the amount
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bank — for money
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — a video
  16. board — to get on
  17. pop — soda
  18. bank — of a river
  19. content — happy
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fall — the season
  23. board — a committee
  24. spell — letters

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