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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bound — tied together
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. object — to protest
  5. clip — to cut
  6. object — a thing
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. clip — for paper
  9. sharp — clever
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cue — a signal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. cue — for pool
  22. object — an aim
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. branch — a division

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