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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 116 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: branch · rash · row · clip · tear · net · chip · dip

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rash — a series
  5. row — to paddle
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. chip — for betting
  8. clip — for paper
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chip — to eat
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. net — for catching
  16. tear — to rip
  17. net — in sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. clip — a video
  20. row — a line
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. net — after costs

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