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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mark — a grade
  5. clip — a video
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wound — an injury
  9. clip — for paper
  10. branch — a division
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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