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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 · dip · suit · cold · nail · game · cabinet · clip

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. suit — to fit
  5. branch — a division
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. dip — to sink
  8. suit — clothes
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. suit — in cards
  13. clip — for paper
  14. game — wild animals
  15. clip — a video
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. game — a match
  21. cold — not warm
  22. clip — to cut
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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