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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: drill · branch · stick · clip · pound · tear · staff · hand

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. branch — a division
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tear — from crying
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pound — a weight
  9. drill — army training
  10. hand — in cards
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — to cut
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. tear — from crying
  16. staff — a stick
  17. clip — a video
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. drill — the tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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