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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: squash · bound · clip · wound · cap · snap · stick · branch

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wound — an injury
  5. clip — a video
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — certain
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bound — tied together
  20. branch — a division
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bound — obliged

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