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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: chair · rush · bank · season · nail · saw · clip · safe

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. season — of the year
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. saw — the tool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chair — a leader
  7. clip — to cut
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. clip — a video
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bank — for money
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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