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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: pass · wake · arm · trunk · clip · branch · mark · bark

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. branch — a division
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. clip — a video
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. clip — for paper
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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