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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. clip — for paper
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. drill — a practice
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. drill — the tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bark — to shout
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. clip — to cut
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — a division
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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