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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: leaves · net · bay · rest · clip · branch · roll · cold

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. roll — a cake
  6. net — in sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. branch — a division
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. clip — for paper
  18. roll — a list
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. net — for catching
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. leaves — lets stay

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