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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. clip — a video
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bound — certain
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. branch — a division
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bound — obliged
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. clip — to cut
  24. branch — of a bank

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