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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 120 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: last · branch · sharp · mate · fine · drill · clip · bank

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. sharp — clever
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. drill — the tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bank — for money
  17. last — finally
  18. bank — of a river
  19. clip — to cut
  20. branch — a division
  21. fine — all right
  22. last — final
  23. drill — army training
  24. last — to go on

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