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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: prune · branch · net · arm · clip · lash · can · swing

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — for paper
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. swing — to play on
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. clip — a video
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. net — for catching
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. can — to be able to
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. can — a tin
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — after costs
  23. swing — music
  24. can — a tin

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