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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: bowl · branch · clip · chip · dip · can · spring · fine

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fine — high quality
  10. dip — to sink
  11. can — a tin
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. chip — for betting
  18. can — a tin
  19. branch — a division
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fine — all right
  22. spring — of water
  23. can — to be able to
  24. clip — a video

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