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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. press — to push
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. key — in music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — a tool
  16. board — to get on
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. board — a committee
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. press — a publisher
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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