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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — a group
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. clip — for paper
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. sharp — clever
  12. branch — a division
  13. club — for golf
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. club — for dancing
  19. board — to get on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lean — to bend
  23. board — a committee
  24. lean — thin

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