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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. clip — for paper
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. charge — electricity
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — in control
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. branch — a division
  21. board — to get on
  22. charge — a price
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. clip — a video

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