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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. key — in music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rush — hurry
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. ground — a position
  15. branch — a division
  16. ground — crushed
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. ground — the earth
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pop — soda
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rush — to hurry
  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