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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: branch · clip · mate · object · pop · row · bark · fan

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. row — a line
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pop — soda
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. clip — for paper
  9. branch — a division
  10. mate — a partner
  11. clip — a video
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. object — a thing
  15. row — to paddle
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. object — an aim
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bark — to shout
  22. clip — to cut
  23. object — to protest
  24. fan — a supporter

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