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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: bank · bore · bass · leaves · saw · clip · branch · sharp

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bank — for money
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bass — the fish
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bank — of a river
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bank — for money
  10. bass — low music
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. clip — a video
  18. bore — to tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. clip — for paper
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bore — to drill

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