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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · hand · sharp · mouse · can · land · degree · branch

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. land — to come down
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. sharp — clever
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. land — ground
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. can — to be able to
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. degree — temperature
  23. land — a country
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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