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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bear — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — a series
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. clip — a video
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hand — help
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bowl — a football final

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