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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. clip — for paper
  4. root — of a word
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to click
  8. face — to point toward
  9. clip — a video
  10. bound — obliged
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. branch — a division
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. root — the cause
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. root — of a plant
  24. branch — of a bank

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