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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. branch — a division
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. firm — a company
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. press — to push
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. firm — steady
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bass — the fish
  22. firm — decided
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wave — with your hand

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