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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: nail · branch · clip · squash · swing · safe · date · last

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. branch — a division
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — to cut
  7. swing — to play on
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. last — to go on
  10. clip — for paper
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. clip — a video
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. swing — in golf

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