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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bear — the animal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. can — a tin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rash — hasty
  19. can — a tin
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. last — to go on
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rash — a series

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