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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. field — for sport
  3. clip — a video
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — a subject
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. field — farmland
  11. clip — for paper
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. present — a gift
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. present — the time now
  19. branch — a division
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rash — a series
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. present — there
  24. bowl — to roll

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