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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. clip — to cut
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. charge — in control
  10. clip — a video
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. foot — a measure
  15. branch — a division
  16. clip — for paper
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — a series
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rash — hasty

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