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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. clip — to cut
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — a stick
  14. clip — a video
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. clip — for paper
  18. hand — help
  19. branch — a division
  20. hand — in cards
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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