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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. staff — employees
  3. bore — to tire
  4. land — ground
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rule — government
  7. land — a country
  8. clip — a video
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. branch — a division
  12. firm — a company
  13. rule — a law
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bore — to drill
  18. staff — a stick
  19. land — to come down
  20. cue — a signal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. staff — employees

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