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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. clip — a video
  3. object — an aim
  4. tear — from crying
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. object — to protest
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rash — a series
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. object — a thing
  12. branch — a division
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. clip — for paper
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tear — from crying
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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