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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: roll · branch · clip · net · stem · pitcher · hand · kick

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. clip — to cut
  3. net — in sport
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — to come from
  8. branch — a division
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hand — help
  11. roll — a list
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. kick — in football
  15. clip — a video
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. roll — a cake
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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