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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 120 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. club — a group
  3. firm — a company
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. board — a committee
  7. club — for dancing
  8. firm — decided
  9. club — for golf
  10. clip — to cut
  11. branch — a division
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. clip — a video
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. clip — for paper
  16. snap — to click
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. firm — steady
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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