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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. branch — a division
  7. clip — to cut
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rash — hasty
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. clip — for paper
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. date — the fruit
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rash — a series
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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