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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: wave · season · track · clip · bore · plane · branch · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bore — to drill
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bore — to tire
  11. track — a path
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. branch — a division
  19. clip — to cut
  20. snap — to click
  21. clip — a video
  22. season — in sport
  23. track — a song
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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