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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 · branch · kid · season · saw · bound · hide · pitch

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. kid — to tease
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bound — certain
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pitch — completely
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. season — in sport
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bound — tied together
  12. season — of the year
  13. clip — to cut
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. clip — a video
  16. branch — a division
  17. bound — obliged
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kid — child
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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