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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — to cut
  6. craft — a skill
  7. clip — for paper
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. march — the month
  10. present — there
  11. press — to push
  12. can — to be able to
  13. clip — a video
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. present — the time now
  17. craft — boats
  18. press — a publisher
  19. branch — a division
  20. present — a gift
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. board — to get on
  23. press — newspapers
  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