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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: clip · bark · rush · fan · pit · snap · branch · mug

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. branch — a division
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mug — a cup
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mug — a face
  11. rush — hurry
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pit — in a race
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. snap — to click

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