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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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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. branch — a division
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — for paper
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. clip — a video
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wax — to grow
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fine — all right
  18. march — music

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