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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. branch — a division
  3. spell — letters
  4. clip — a video
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rule — government
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rule — a law
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bank — for money
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bank — for money

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