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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. march — the month
  14. clip — a video
  15. foot — a measure
  16. march — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — for paper
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bat — in an idiom

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