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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. clip — a video
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. kid — child
  5. clip — to cut
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. dip — to sink
  9. branch — a division
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — in golf
  12. clip — for paper
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. craft — a skill
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. craft — boats

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