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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: season · pop · mate · branch · clip · pit · bowl · saw

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pop — soda
  8. mate — a partner
  9. clip — a video
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pop — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mate — to breed
  17. branch — a division
  18. clip — to cut
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pop — to visit
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. season — in sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mate — a friend

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