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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 124 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — a break
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. can — a tin
  10. sharp — clever
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rock — a stone
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. clip — to cut
  16. can — a tin
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bark — to shout
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rock — music
  23. branch — a division
  24. bark — 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