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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spring — a coil
  5. branch — a division
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. staff — a stick
  8. spring — of water
  9. saw — the tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spring — the season
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. saw — the tool
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. clip — a video
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. club — for dancing
  21. staff — employees
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. club — a group
  24. branch — of a tree

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