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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mark — a grade
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — part of the head
  9. clip — a video
  10. branch — a division
  11. face — to confront
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mate — a partner
  20. face — to point toward
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mate — to breed
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. deal — a big deal

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