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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: arm · cap · stem · mug · branch · bass · bound · clip

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bass — the fish
  3. clip — a video
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bass — low music
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mug — a cup
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stem — to come from
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bound — certain
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cap — a lid
  20. branch — a division
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mug — a face
  24. branch — of a tree

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