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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. march — music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. branch — a division
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rush — hurry
  7. firm — a company
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bass — low music
  10. clip — a video
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. firm — decided
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. firm — steady
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bass — the fish
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stem — of a plant

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