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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: branch · leaves · straw · calf · bound · fine · coach · clip

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bound — obliged
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. branch — a division
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — all right
  17. bound — tied together
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bound — certain
  23. fine — high quality
  24. straw — a straw man

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