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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: key · branch · kid · calf · drill · scale · clip · hide

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. kid — to tease
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. drill — a practice
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. drill — army training
  15. key — in music
  16. scale — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. key — the most important part
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. clip — for paper

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