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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. clip — a video
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bulb — for light
  8. branch — a division
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. can — a tin
  17. clip — to cut
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. clip — for paper
  22. can — to be able to
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bulb — for light

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