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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pit · pitcher · leaves · cold · deal · date · clip · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. clip — for paper
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pit — a hole
  6. clip — a video
  7. date — the fruit
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitcher — a jug

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