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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. net — after costs
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. content — the amount
  9. bear — the animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. net — in sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mate — a friend
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mate — a partner
  23. clip — a video
  24. content — happy

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