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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mug — to rob
  4. file — a document
  5. clip — a video
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mug — a face
  8. clip — for paper
  9. file — a line of people
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. branch — a division
  16. chest — a box
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. file — a tool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. snap — to click
  21. chest — of your body
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mug — a cup

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