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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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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lie — to recline
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. branch — a division
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. clip — to cut
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. saw — the tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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