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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: saw · pass · bore · straw · branch · snap · clip · ball

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bore — to drill
  5. snap — to click
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bore — to tire
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. branch — a division
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. ball — a dance
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. clip — for paper
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. saw — the tool

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