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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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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: firm · branch · clip · season · bear · mate

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. firm — a company
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. firm — steady
  9. season — in sport
  10. mate — a partner
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. branch — a division
  13. season — of the year
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. clip — for paper
  16. firm — decided
  17. clip — a video
  18. mate — a friend

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