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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — to shout
  7. can — a tin
  8. branch — a division
  9. clip — to cut
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. can — to be able to
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spring — a coil
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spring — the season
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. game — a match
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — of water
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. can — a tin

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