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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: spell · kick · branch · can · scale · game · wave · clip

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. scale — size or range
  3. kick — in football
  4. game — a match
  5. spell — magic
  6. clip — to cut
  7. spell — letters
  8. clip — for paper
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. clip — a video
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — in music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. can — to be able to

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