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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 116 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. chip — for betting
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. clip — a video
  12. deal — to handle
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. clip — for paper
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. firm — decided
  18. rule — a law
  19. firm — steady
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. firm — a company
  22. wax — to grow
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rule — government

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