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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. spell — a short time
  3. branch — a division
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. clip — to cut
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. can — to be able to
  8. field — a subject
  9. snap — to click
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spell — letters
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — for paper
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. can — a tin
  22. bank — for money
  23. can — a tin
  24. bank — of a river

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