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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. clip — a video
  2. tube — the underground
  3. scale — in music
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bank — for money
  6. stand — to bear
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bank — for money
  15. branch — a division
  16. tube — a container
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stand — for spectators
  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