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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · lie · chest · race · clip · cabinet · wind · branch

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. race — the arms race
  4. branch — a division
  5. chest — a box
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chest — of your body
  8. clip — a video
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. rock — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. clip — for paper

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