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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. clip — to cut
  3. march — the month
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. march — the month
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. board — to get on
  12. rock — a stone
  13. march — music
  14. clip — a video
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — a division
  22. rock — music
  23. pitch — completely
  24. clip — for paper

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