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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. clip — a video
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bound — certain
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. branch — a division
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tube — a container
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — to cut
  24. hide — to keep secret

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