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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bank · mine · mark · clip · hand · fork · mouse

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bank — of a river
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hand — help
  17. fork — in a road
  18. clip — a video
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bank — for money
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mark — a trace

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