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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. clip — a video
  3. face — to confront
  4. land — ground
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. can — to be able to
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. land — to come down
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — a country
  14. can — a tin
  15. fall — the season
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. branch — a division
  19. face — part of the head
  20. can — a tin
  21. clip — for paper
  22. face — to point toward
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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