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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · row · chest · clip · fine · present · cabinet · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. row — to paddle
  3. clip — to cut
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. chest — of your body
  6. clip — a video
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fine — all right
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. branch — a division
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fine — high quality
  17. present — there
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. present — the time now
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. chest — a box
  23. row — a line
  24. present — a gift

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