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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spring — the season
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ball — a great time
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. branch — a division
  13. rock — music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lean — thin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. clip — a video
  19. lean — to bend
  20. shower — rain
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spring — of water
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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