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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. clip — a video
  3. rest — a break
  4. row — to paddle
  5. club — for golf
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — a division
  12. row — a line
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. club — a group
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. land — a country
  19. club — for dancing
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. land — ground
  22. tube — the underground
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rest — what's left

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