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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rest — what's left
  3. board — to get on
  4. clip — a video
  5. rest — what's left
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bank — for money
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — a division
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bank — of a river
  18. board — a committee
  19. bank — for money
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. ground — a position

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