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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. suit — to fit
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. clip — a video
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. suit — in cards
  17. band — a ring
  18. suit — clothes
  19. present — a gift
  20. pit — in a race
  21. present — there
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. present — the time now
  24. pit — a hole

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