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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 120 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: bank · clip · trunk · cue · squash · hand · rock · band

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. squash — the sport
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. band — a ring
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. clip — a video
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hand — help
  12. band — a music group
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rock — music
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hand — in cards
  22. clip — for paper
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bank — for money

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