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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bound — certain
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — the underground
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tube — a container
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. clip — a video
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. row — to paddle
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spell — magic
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bound — tied together
  18. branch — a division
  19. toast — bread
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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