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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pit — a hole
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. branch — a division
  9. saw — the tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bear — the animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. can — a tin
  17. last — finally
  18. staff — employees
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. clip — a video
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pit — in a race

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