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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: rash · nail · wake · safe · bulb · branch · cold · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — a division
  13. cold — not warm
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cold — an illness
  19. clip — for paper
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rash — a series
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. safe — a strongbox

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