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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.

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: branch · mate · object · clip · season · stem · bowl · calf

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. season — in sport
  3. clip — a video
  4. mate — a friend
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. object — a thing
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. object — to protest
  13. mate — to breed
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. object — an aim
  19. stem — to come from
  20. season — of the year
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. branch — a division
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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