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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. clip — a video
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rest — what's left
  6. staff — a stick
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pitch — completely
  9. staff — employees
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. staff — employees

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