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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
468
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: snap · bound · deal · clip · cabinet · calf · branch · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bound — tied together
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. clip — a video
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bound — obliged
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. snap — to click
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. branch — a division
  24. bound — certain

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