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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 120 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: chip · clip · can · swing · bark · bowl · nail · branch

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. swing — music
  4. clip — a video
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. swing — to play on
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bark — to shout
  10. can — to be able to
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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