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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mug — to rob
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bass — low music
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mug — a cup
  19. branch — a division
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — a face
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. clip — a video

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