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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · sharp · degree · safe · clip · prune · straw · fan

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. clip — for paper
  5. perch — the fish
  6. degree — temperature
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. clip — to cut
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. degree — from a university
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. degree — an amount
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. sharp — clever
  22. clip — a video
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fan — to cool the air

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