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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: mug · ruler · bear · clip · cold · wave · branch · cap

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mug — to rob
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. clip — a video
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mug — a face
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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