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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pop — to visit
  4. object — an aim
  5. pop — soda
  6. clip — a video
  7. lean — thin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. land — a country
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. object — to protest
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. land — ground
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. land — to come down
  23. pop — music
  24. object — a thing

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