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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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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: mark · mate · branch · clip · staff · saw · board · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mark — a grade
  3. clip — a video
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. staff — employees
  10. clip — for paper
  11. staff — a stick
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mark — a trace
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. branch — a division
  21. staff — employees
  22. mate — a friend
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. branch — of a bank

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