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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: wound · branch · bear · mate · kick · clip · bass · saw

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kick — in football
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wound — an injury
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. saw — the tool
  15. branch — a division
  16. wound — an injury
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bass — low music
  19. clip — a video
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kick — with a leg

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