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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: sharp · mate · bass · key · temple · clip · branch · prune

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. sharp — clever
  3. clip — a video
  4. bass — the fish
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bass — low music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mate — a partner
  14. clip — to cut
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. mate — to breed
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — a division
  22. clip — for paper
  23. key — the most important part
  24. prune — to trim

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