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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: clip · branch · key · bank · ground · row · fine · squash

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bank — for money
  3. fine — high quality
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. key — in music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — a division
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. row — a line
  13. ground — a position
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bank — of a river
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bank — for money
  19. row — to paddle
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fine — all right
  23. clip — for paper
  24. branch — of a tree

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