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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 120 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. row — a line
  3. charge — electricity
  4. clip — a video
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — to cut
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. row — to paddle
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. clip — for paper
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — a division
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. row — a quarrel

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