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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. clip — a video
  3. branch — a division
  4. clip — for paper
  5. board — to get on
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pop — soda
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pop — music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. board — a committee
  24. clip — to cut

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