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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. clip — a video
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. face — to confront
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. clip — to cut
  13. face — to point toward
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. mate — a friend
  18. branch — a division
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bat — the animal
  24. trunk — 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