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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: spring · branch · stand · snap · suit · pound · clip · craft

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. suit — clothes
  4. stand — to bear
  5. pound — a weight
  6. branch — a division
  7. suit — in cards
  8. clip — for paper
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. suit — to fit
  13. spring — the season
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — a coil
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. snap — to click
  20. craft — boats
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. clip — a video
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. craft — a skill

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