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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I seem to be developing 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. branch — a division
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rash — hasty
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rash — a series
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. roll — a cake
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rest — a break
  12. clip — a video
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. clip — for paper
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. clip — to cut
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rash — on the skin
  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