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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.

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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: branch · bowl · wave · spell · board · spring · trunk · clip

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. clip — a video
  3. spell — a short time
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. branch — a division
  11. spring — a coil
  12. clip — to cut
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. spell — letters
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. spring — the season
  20. spell — magic
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. spring — of water
  24. clip — for paper

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