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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: net · bound · mug · chip · drill · club · clip · branch

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bound — obliged
  3. drill — army training
  4. bound — certain
  5. mug — a face
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. drill — a practice
  8. net — in sport
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. net — after costs
  12. mug — to rob
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chip — for betting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. drill — the tool
  18. net — for catching
  19. bound — tied together
  20. clip — for paper
  21. club — for golf
  22. chip — to eat
  23. branch — a division
  24. clip — a video

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