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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 · foot · branch · firm · snap · hand · bowl · pitcher

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. hand — help
  14. firm — a company
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. firm — steady
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. clip — a video
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. firm — decided
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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