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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. branch — a division
  10. mark — a grade
  11. clip — to cut
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. clip — a video
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mark — a trace
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mark — to pay attention

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