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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. board — a committee
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. clip — a video
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. branch — a division
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bass — the fish
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. field — for sport
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. board — to get on
  14. fall — the season
  15. field — a subject
  16. fall — to drop
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — farmland
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bay — a horse colour

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