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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. tear — from crying
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. clip — for paper
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tear — to rip
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cap — of ice
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. clip — a video
  18. cap — a hat
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — the animal
  22. snap — to click
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bat — for baseball

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