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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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. clip — a video
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. clip — to cut
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bound — obliged
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bound — certain
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bore — to tire

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