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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lean — to bend
  3. staff — employees
  4. clip — to cut
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — in football
  8. lean — thin
  9. staff — employees
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. clip — for paper
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. branch — a division
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. clip — a video

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