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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. net — for catching
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rash — a series
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. net — in sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. firm — a company
  16. season — in sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — hasty
  21. can — a tin
  22. firm — decided
  23. net — after costs
  24. can — a tin

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