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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. chip — to eat
  3. content — happy
  4. can — to be able to
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. clip — a video
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bank — for money
  9. branch — a division
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. can — a tin
  19. content — the amount
  20. can — a tin
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chip — for betting
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. branch — of a tree

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