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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: fall · branch · race · bark · staff · clip · safe · rush

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. clip — for paper
  4. race — the arms race
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. staff — employees
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — a video
  10. fall — the season
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. race — a contest
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. branch — a division
  17. race — humankind
  18. clip — to cut
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — hurry
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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