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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: trunk · clip · bound · branch · pitcher · leaves · key · row

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. row — a line
  3. key — in music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bound — certain
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. clip — a video
  20. branch — a division
  21. key — for a lock
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. key — the most important part
  24. clip — to cut

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