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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 116 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: prune · wave · club · safe · field · tube · branch · perch

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. tube — a container
  6. perch — the fish
  7. club — a group
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tube — the underground
  12. club — for golf
  13. field — a subject
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. field — farmland
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. prune — to trim

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