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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. clip — for paper
  3. branch — a division
  4. current — electric
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bound — certain
  7. current — happening now
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. current — of water
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mine — for digging
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. clip — a video
  18. rest — what's left
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. row — a line
  23. bound — obliged
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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