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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. branch — a division
  9. scale — size or range
  10. charge — in control
  11. present — the time now
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. scale — in music
  14. content — the amount
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. present — there
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. clip — to cut
  19. charge — electricity
  20. present — a gift
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — to come from
  24. charge — a price

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