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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. spell — letters
  5. chip — to eat
  6. clip — to cut
  7. branch — a division
  8. spell — a short time
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rash — a series
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. spell — magic
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. clip — a video
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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