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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. season — of the year
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bass — the fish
  13. file — a document
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bass — low music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. file — a tool
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. file — a line of people

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