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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mine — for digging
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. clip — a video
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rule — a law
  19. branch — a division
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stand — on your feet

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