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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bound — tied together
  3. club — for golf
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. tube — a container
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bound — obliged
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bound — certain
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. club — a group
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. branch — a division
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. club — for dancing

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