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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. branch — a division
  2. cue — for pool
  3. clip — a video
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cue — a hint
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. band — a music group
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. clip — to cut
  17. track — a song
  18. clip — for paper
  19. track — a path
  20. pit — a hole
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cue — a signal
  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