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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: branch · roll · deal · sharp · prune · kid · rock · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rock — music
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. roll — a cake
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rock — a stone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. roll — a list
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. branch — a division
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. sharp — exactly

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