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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. land — a country
  5. clip — a video
  6. fall — the season
  7. branch — a division
  8. ground — crushed
  9. land — to come down
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pass — a permit
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. land — ground
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. ball — a great time
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ball — a dance

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