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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: bay · wound · branch · can · mine · clip · saw · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. rock — music
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. clip — a video
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. branch — a division
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — a tin
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. can — a tin
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. clip — for paper
  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