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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. band — a music group
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. band — a ring
  13. march — the month
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. clip — a video
  18. bank — for money
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — for paper
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lie — to recline
  23. clip — to cut
  24. march — music

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