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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: firm · clip · straw · safe · net · branch · trunk · object

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. firm — a company
  9. net — for catching
  10. clip — for paper
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. firm — steady
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. net — after costs
  17. object — to protest
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. object — an aim
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. firm — decided
  23. object — a thing
  24. net — in sport

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