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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rest — what's left
  4. branch — a division
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rock — a stone
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — to protest
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rest — a break
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pit — in a race

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