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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. band — a ring
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bank — for money
  8. branch — a division
  9. clip — to cut
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bound — certain
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bank — for money
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mine — for digging
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. band — a music group
  23. clip — a video
  24. mine — an explosive

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