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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. clip — for paper
  3. roll — a list
  4. mark — a grade
  5. file — a line of people
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mark — a trace
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. clip — a video
  16. squash — the sport
  17. row — a line
  18. file — a tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. current — happening now
  22. file — a document
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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