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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mug — a cup
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kick — in football
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mug — to rob
  10. branch — a division
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mug — a face
  18. stem — to come from
  19. content — the amount
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pitch — completely
  22. content — happy
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stem — of a plant

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