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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 · kid · bass · saw · safe · land · fan · clip

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — ground
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — the fish
  8. land — to come down
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. clip — a video
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. branch — a division
  22. land — a country
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kid — child

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