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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 124 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. branch — a division
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tube — a container
  11. clip — to cut
  12. current — happening now
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lean — to bend
  15. current — electric
  16. lean — thin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. perch — the fish
  23. current — of water
  24. tube — the underground

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