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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: lash · track · branch · craft · season · clip · pitcher · key

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. craft — boats
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. craft — a skill
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. season — in sport
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. branch — a division
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. clip — to cut
  16. track — a song
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. key — in music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. track — a path
  22. key — the most important part
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. season — of the year

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