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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. branch — a division
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — a video
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pit — in a race
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. perch — the fish
  24. nail — on a finger

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