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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: saw · clip · lash · branch · deal · roll · bound · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bound — tied together
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. saw — the tool
  6. branch — a division
  7. bound — certain
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — a list
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fall — the season
  23. deal — to handle
  24. branch — of a tree

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