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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: bore · club · vault · clip · cell · branch · saw · snap

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — a group
  12. cell — in biology
  13. club — for golf
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. clip — for paper
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. snap — to click
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cell — a phone
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. saw — the tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cell — in a prison

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