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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mate — to breed
  4. clip — to cut
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. mate — a friend
  9. row — to paddle
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. net — in sport
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. clip — a video
  16. net — after costs
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. can — a tin
  19. clip — for paper
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. net — for catching
  24. row — a line

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