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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: pound · suit · branch · bowl · fork · clip · mug · trunk

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mug — a face
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — a division
  17. pound — a weight
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. suit — to fit
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. suit — clothes
  24. trunk — 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