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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. clip — a video
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ball — a great time
  8. current — of water
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. clip — to cut
  12. current — happening now
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. present — there
  18. ball — a dance
  19. face — part of the head
  20. current — electric
  21. pound — a weight
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. present — the time now
  24. clip — for paper

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