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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: field · saw · clip · prune · wound · branch · row · safe

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. row — to paddle
  3. clip — for paper
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wound — an injury
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. field — for sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — a subject
  16. prune — to trim
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. branch — a division
  20. field — farmland
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. row — a line

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