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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · ball · clip · kid · lash · bore · key · net

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bore — to tire
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. clip — to cut
  8. net — in sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. net — for catching
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. clip — a video
  13. branch — a division
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. clip — for paper
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. net — after costs
  21. ball — a dance
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. key — in music

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