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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — the most important part
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. clip — to cut
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. key — in music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. kid — to tease
  15. branch — a division
  16. clip — a video
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kid — child
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hide — to keep secret

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