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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. kid — to tease
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rash — a series
  12. pound — a weight
  13. kid — child
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. clip — for paper
  22. board — a committee
  23. branch — a division
  24. board — to get on

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