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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.

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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: rush · object · branch · clip · staff · bark · game · mark

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mark — a grade
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — hurry
  11. staff — a stick
  12. object — to protest
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. object — a thing
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — a division
  18. game — wild animals
  19. staff — employees
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. object — an aim
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mark — a trace

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