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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: mark · saw · wake · craft · ground · branch · clip · pit

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. craft — boats
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. branch — a division
  12. craft — a skill
  13. clip — a video
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pit — in a race
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wake — a trail
  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