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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 120 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. clip — to cut
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mark — a grade
  14. clip — a video
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. band — a music group
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. branch — a division
  23. squash — the sport
  24. band — a ring

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