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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mug — a cup
  6. board — to get on
  7. mug — a face
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. content — happy
  10. mug — to rob
  11. hand — help
  12. content — the amount
  13. hand — in cards
  14. clip — to cut
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chest — of your body
  17. clip — for paper
  18. board — a committee
  19. clip — a video
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chest — a box
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. chest — of your body
  24. branch — of a bank

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