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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 116 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: clip · coach · mouse · pitcher · plane · net · scale · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. clip — a video
  18. net — after costs
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. net — in sport
  22. scale — in music
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. scale — size or range

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