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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cap — of ice
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rock — a stone
  16. march — music
  17. swing — music
  18. cue — a hint
  19. clip — for paper
  20. march — the month
  21. rock — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. swing — in golf

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