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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. clip — to cut
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. clip — a video
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. craft — boats
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. craft — a skill
  16. clip — for paper
  17. season — in sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — a division
  23. rush — hurry
  24. season — of the year

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