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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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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: plane · bound · cue · clip · branch · court · arm · drill

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. plane — a tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. drill — a practice
  6. clip — a video
  7. court — for sport
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bound — certain
  11. clip — for paper
  12. drill — army training
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. court — of law
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. drill — the tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. branch — a division
  23. clip — to cut
  24. branch — of a bank

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