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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. branch — a division
  3. bank — for money
  4. board — a committee
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cap — a hat
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — to get on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. season — of the year
  13. prune — to trim
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. clip — a video
  18. bank — of a river
  19. season — in sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bank — for money

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