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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wound — an injury
  3. clip — a video
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cue — a signal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. clip — for paper
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wound — an injury
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cue — for pool
  17. branch — a division
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. sharp — exactly

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