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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. race — a contest
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. branch — a division
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. stem — a stem cell

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