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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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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: mate · calf · deal · branch · mine · clip · bay · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mate — to breed
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. clip — a video
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. deal — to handle
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mate — a partner
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. branch — a division
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mine — belonging to me

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