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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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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: roll · jam · bear · lash · branch · game · firm · clip

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bear — the animal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. clip — for paper
  6. game — a match
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. firm — decided
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. firm — steady
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. firm — a company
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. game — wild animals
  18. roll — a list
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — a division
  21. clip — a video
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bear — to put up with

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