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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 116 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: branch · swing · mate · content · cue · stick · saw · clip

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cue — for pool
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — a signal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. content — happy
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. clip — to cut
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. content — the amount
  20. clip — for paper
  21. branch — a division
  22. mate — a partner
  23. saw — the tool
  24. swing — to play on

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