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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. track — a path
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. clip — a video
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bank — for money
  22. board — to get on
  23. bark — to shout
  24. clip — for paper

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