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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. clip — a video
  7. court — for sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rock — music
  11. craft — boats
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pass — a permit
  14. craft — a skill
  15. court — of a king
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. squash — the sport
  19. court — of law
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. branch — a division

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