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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: clip · branch · drill · ruler · craft · rock · hand · mouse

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. clip — a video
  3. hand — help
  4. drill — a practice
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. hand — in cards
  7. craft — a skill
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. branch — a division
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. craft — boats
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ruler — for measuring

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