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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: row · deal · branch · temple · face · squash · clip · bark

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. row — a line
  4. clip — for paper
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. face — to confront
  8. bark — to shout
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. face — to point toward
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. branch — a division
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. deal — to handle
  24. clip — to cut

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