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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. clip — a video
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. spring — of water
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. clip — for paper
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fall — the season
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. branch — a division
  24. pound — a weight

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