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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. face — to point toward
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. clip — a video
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. branch — a division
  9. bound — tied together
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rock — music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. vault — a safe
  15. tube — the underground
  16. track — to keep track
  17. face — to confront
  18. tube — a container
  19. track — a song
  20. bound — obliged
  21. clip — to cut
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bound — certain
  24. rock — a 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