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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — for paper
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spring — of water
  8. pop — soda
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. press — newspapers
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. clip — a video
  14. branch — a division
  15. craft — boats
  16. rest — a break
  17. spring — the season
  18. press — to push
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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