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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. clip — for paper
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. clip — to cut
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. clip — a video
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. field — for sport
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pit — a hole

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