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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. field — farmland
  6. clip — a video
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. clip — for paper
  16. branch — a division
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. field — a subject
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. field — for sport

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