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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: key · prune · wind · pitch · perch · branch · safe · nail

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. branch — a division
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wind — moving air
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. key — the most important part
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. perch — the fish
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. key — in music
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. nail — for a hammer

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