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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. club — for dancing
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. roll — a list
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. clip — a video
  10. deal — to handle
  11. club — for golf
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tube — a container
  15. clip — to cut
  16. tube — the underground
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. club — a group
  19. clip — for paper
  20. branch — a division
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. net — in sport

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