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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: date · branch · coach · row · clip · staff · bear · fine

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. branch — a division
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fine — all right
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. clip — a video
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. clip — to cut
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bear — the animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. staff — a stick
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. date — the fruit
  21. row — to paddle
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. staff — employees

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