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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 116 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: clip · suit · deal · face · key · branch · mark · mine

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. suit — in cards
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mark — a grade
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. suit — clothes
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. clip — to cut
  12. face — to point toward
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. suit — to fit
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. key — in music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. face — to confront
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. face — part of the head

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