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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. race — the arms race
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. board — to get on
  6. race — a contest
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — humankind
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — for paper
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. clip — a video
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. board — a committee

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