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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. sharp — clever
  3. content — happy
  4. can — to be able to
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. snap — to click
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — a video
  14. charge — a price
  15. perch — the fish
  16. content — the amount
  17. clip — for paper
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. charge — in control
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. charge — electricity
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. clip — to cut
  24. perch — for a bird

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