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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: club · fine · bank · branch · lean · kick · clip · rest

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bank — for money
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fine — all right
  6. rest — a break
  7. clip — a video
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lean — thin
  13. fine — high quality
  14. kick — in football
  15. branch — a division
  16. bank — for money
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. club — a group
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bank — of a river
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rest — what's left
  24. club — for golf

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