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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. swing — in golf
  4. branch — a division
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stock — goods
  10. spring — a coil
  11. clip — a video
  12. spring — the season
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spring — of water
  16. key — in music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — shares
  20. clip — for paper
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. press — to push

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