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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. branch — a division
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. clip — for paper
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. board — a committee
  13. scale — size or range
  14. clip — a video
  15. board — to get on
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wake — a trail
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. scale — in music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. calf — of the leg

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