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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. branch — a division
  4. season — of the year
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. current — of water
  8. cap — a hat
  9. spell — letters
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. season — in sport
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cap — a lid
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. spell — magic
  19. current — electric
  20. clip — to cut
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. current — happening now

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