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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 116 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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. clip — a video
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. band — a music group
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. band — a ring
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. branch — a division
  22. pass — a permit
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stock — goods

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