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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: wake · rule · key · clip · bark · season · pop · branch

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pop — music
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bark — to shout
  13. clip — a video
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. clip — to cut
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rule — government
  18. pop — soda
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. key — in music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rule — a law
  23. branch — a division
  24. pop — to visit

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