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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 120 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: perch · clip · branch · snap · pop · bark · staff · wax

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pop — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. staff — employees
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. clip — a video
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pop — to visit
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. snap — to click
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. clip — for paper
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bark — of a tree

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