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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. staff — employees
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. clip — to cut
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitch — completely
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. charge — electricity
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. clip — a video
  20. charge — in control
  21. mine — for digging
  22. charge — a price
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. staff — a stick

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