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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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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: clip · wave · firm · bank · arm · branch · pitcher · cue

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. clip — to cut
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bank — of a river
  5. branch — a division
  6. firm — decided
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — a video
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. firm — a company
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bank — for money
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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