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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. clip — a video
  3. craft — boats
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — finally
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mug — a cup
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. craft — a skill
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. land — ground
  18. mug — a face
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chest — a box
  21. branch — a division
  22. chest — of your body
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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