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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: squash · bank · branch · net · clip · pass · hand · sharp

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bank — for money
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. net — for catching
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. clip — to cut
  8. branch — a division
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. clip — a video
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bank — for money
  13. clip — for paper
  14. net — after costs
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bank — of a river
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. net — in sport
  20. squash — the sport
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. squash — to crush
  24. hand — in cards

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