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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. clip — for paper
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. content — the amount
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. content — happy
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chip — to eat
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tube — a container
  15. chip — for betting
  16. branch — a division
  17. clip — a video
  18. bay — a horse colour

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