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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: kick · stock · saw · clip · chair · perch · cell · branch

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stock — shares
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. branch — a division
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. clip — to cut
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cell — in biology
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. chair — a leader
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. perch — the fish
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. stock — goods
  21. cell — a phone
  22. kick — in football
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stock — a soup base

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