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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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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: kick · row · clip · safe · cap · branch · rush · tear

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tear — to rip
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. branch — a division
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cap — of ice
  14. row — a line
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rush — hurry
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tear — from crying
  24. row — a quarrel

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