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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rash — a series
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. race — a contest
  8. rash — hasty
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fine — high quality
  15. clip — a video
  16. bore — to tire
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bore — to drill
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fine — all right
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. branch — a division

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