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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. branch — a division
  3. object — a thing
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bound — obliged
  8. clip — a video
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. clip — for paper
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bound — certain
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pit — in a race
  23. object — to protest
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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