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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. net — in sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — for catching
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. branch — a division
  7. clip — a video
  8. mug — a face
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mate — to breed
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mate — a partner
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — a friend
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mug — a cup
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mug — to rob
  23. net — after costs
  24. branch — of a tree

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