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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. clip — a video
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ball — a great time
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ball — a dance
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. current — electric
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chip — to eat
  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