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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. clip — for paper
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cell — in biology
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cell — a phone
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wound — an injury
  21. clip — a video
  22. branch — a division
  23. clip — to cut
  24. vault — a safe

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