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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. roll — a list
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — a division
  9. clip — to cut
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bank — for money
  12. lie — to recline
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bank — of a river
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bank — for money
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. roll — a cake

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