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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. clip — a video
  3. bound — certain
  4. rule — government
  5. branch — a division
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. clip — to cut
  12. current — electric
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wax — to grow
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. rule — a law
  19. current — of water
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. band — a ring
  24. current — happening now

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