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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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Word bank
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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: chair · rush · file · clip · bound · branch · perch · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chair — a leader
  3. clip — to cut
  4. perch — the fish
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. clip — for paper
  13. file — a tool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. file — a document
  19. clip — a video
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. rush — a thrill

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