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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
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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: straw · object · tube · mark · jam · cell · branch · clip

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — the underground
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — a grade
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. tube — a container
  11. branch — a division
  12. mark — a trace
  13. object — to protest
  14. cell — a phone
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. object — an aim
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cell — in biology
  23. object — a thing
  24. tube — in a tire

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