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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. band — a music group
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fall — to drop
  5. clip — a video
  6. drill — army training
  7. stock — goods
  8. clip — to cut
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fall — the season
  12. drill — the tool
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. branch — a division
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stock — shares
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fall — to drop
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stock — a soup base

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