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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 120 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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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: race · lash · drill · chest · safe · fine · prune · clip

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. clip — a video
  4. chest — a box
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. drill — army training
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. race — humankind
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chest — of your body
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fine — all right
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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