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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. clip — for paper
  4. branch — a division
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. band — a music group
  9. court — of law
  10. mate — a partner
  11. clip — a video
  12. court — of a king
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. saw — the tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. clip — to cut
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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