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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: clip · calf · chip · saw · branch · snap · date · fall

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to click
  3. fall — to drop
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. fall — the season
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. clip — for paper
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. branch — a division
  18. fall — to drop
  19. clip — to cut
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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