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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fine — all right
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fine — high quality
  12. branch — a division
  13. clip — a video
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. deal — a big deal

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