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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. clip — a video
  2. bear — the animal
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bark — to shout
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rule — government
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. staff — employees
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rule — a law
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. plane — a tool
  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