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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: safe · roll · clip · season · pound · branch · cap · ground

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cap — of ice
  5. ground — a position
  6. branch — a division
  7. clip — to cut
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pound — a weight
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cap — a lid
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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