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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 120 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.

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: safe · prune · clip · saw · chest · track · chip · bass

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. clip — a video
  4. track — to keep track
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — low music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. clip — to cut
  10. track — a song
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — the fish
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. track — a path
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chest — a box
  24. clip — for paper

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