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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: branch · sharp · stick · foot · row · bear · clip · jam

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. sharp — clever
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. row — a line
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bear — the animal

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