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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. key — for a lock
  7. dip — to sink
  8. key — the most important part
  9. branch — a division
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. bore — to tire
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. clip — to cut
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bore — to drill
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. key — in music
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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