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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. clip — to cut
  3. land — a country
  4. clip — a video
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. drill — a practice
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a great time
  13. drill — the tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. chest — a box
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. drill — army training
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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