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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. clip — for paper
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — certain
  11. kick — in football
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. board — to get on
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bore — to tire
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. clip — a video
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bound — tied together

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