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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: bore · wave · clip · jam · sharp · land · cue · branch

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. land — to come down
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — to cut
  9. land — ground
  10. bore — to tire
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bore — to drill
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. cue — a signal
  15. branch — a division
  16. land — a country
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. clip — a video
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cue — for pool

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