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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. court — for sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — a video
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. perch — the fish
  9. court — of a king
  10. clip — for paper
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bore — to drill
  18. stem — to come from
  19. court — of law
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. saw — the tool
  23. branch — a division
  24. bore — gave birth

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