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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. march — music
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. clip — to cut
  9. branch — a division
  10. march — the month
  11. kid — child
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rush — hurry
  14. clip — a video
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pop — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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