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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: cabinet · bass · branch · fine · season · bank · clip · land

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. clip — to cut
  5. land — ground
  6. season — of the year
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. land — a country
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. bass — the fish
  17. land — to come down
  18. bass — low music
  19. season — in sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. branch — a division
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. bank — for money

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