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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: fine · ruler · branch · hand · ground · clip · kick · spell

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — magic
  5. clip — for paper
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spell — a short time
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. clip — a video
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ground — a position
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ground — the earth
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kick — in football
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. spell — letters
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ruler — a monarch

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