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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.

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: branch · track · cue · clip · bank · lash · trunk · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. branch — a division
  9. bank — for money
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. track — a path
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bank — of a river
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. clip — a video
  23. cue — a signal
  24. branch — of a tree

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