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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: clip · bear · lean · chip · dip · branch · coach · rash

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bear — the animal
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lean — thin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rash — a series
  10. chip — for betting
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. clip — a video
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lean — to bend
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. dip — to sink
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. branch — a division

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