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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. object — a thing
  4. clip — to cut
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. object — an aim
  7. branch — a division
  8. pass — a permit
  9. clip — a video
  10. field — a subject
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. field — for sport
  13. mark — a grade
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. clip — for paper
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. object — to protest
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. mark — a trace
  24. field — farmland

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