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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 116 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
468
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 · bass · clip · object · fine · squash · kid · wake

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. fine — all right
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. object — a thing
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. kid — to tease
  13. object — an aim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. object — to protest
  17. kid — child
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — to crush
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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