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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. branch — a division
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — to cut
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. field — for sport
  7. cue — a hint
  8. club — a group
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kick — in football
  11. cue — for pool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. clip — for paper
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. club — for golf
  17. field — a subject
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cue — a signal
  24. clip — a video

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