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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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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: club · bark · clip · sharp · branch · chip · cell · vault

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bark — to shout
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. club — for dancing
  9. clip — a video
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. sharp — clever
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chip — for betting
  15. club — a group
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. clip — for paper
  19. vault — a safe
  20. club — for golf
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. sharp — exactly
  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