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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. clip — a video
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chest — a box
  8. snap — to click
  9. branch — a division
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — of water
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. current — happening now
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — for paper
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chest — of your body
  23. clip — to cut
  24. current — electric

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