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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · scale · press · bound · branch · wave · clip · spring

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bound — certain
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bound — obliged
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. press — newspapers
  9. spring — the season
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bound — tied together
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spring — a coil
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. spring — of water
  22. press — to push
  23. rush — hurry
  24. branch — a division

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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