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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: net · chip · clip · branch · present · leaves · bark · bulb

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bulb — for light
  5. present — there
  6. net — in sport
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. present — a gift
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. clip — a video
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. branch — a division
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. net — for catching
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  24. present — the time now

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