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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: trunk · branch · pitcher · clip · safe · rule · fan · sharp

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rule — government
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — a video
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. sharp — clever
  23. clip — for paper
  24. trunk — of a car

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