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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stand — to bear
  4. clip — a video
  5. branch — a division
  6. drill — army training
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. clip — to cut
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. drill — a practice
  16. swing — music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. content — happy
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. content — the amount
  23. clip — for paper
  24. branch — of a bank

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