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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. clip — a video
  3. branch — a division
  4. craft — boats
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. craft — a skill
  9. land — a country
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. current — electric
  12. land — ground
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. current — happening now
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — of water
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. clip — for paper
  23. land — to come down
  24. clip — to cut

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