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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. clip — a video
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. race — the arms race
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fine — all right
  16. snap — to click
  17. fine — high quality
  18. capital — money
  19. clip — to cut
  20. chair — a leader
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bark — to shout
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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