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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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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 · clip · kick · pound · stick · track · rest · capital

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. branch — a division
  2. rest — a break
  3. capital — money
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — for paper
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — a weight
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — a city
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. clip — a video
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. kick — a thrill
  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