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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: safe · rash · prune · wake · branch · straw · mine · clip

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — a video
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. branch — a division
  10. mine — for digging
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. clip — to cut
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. clip — for paper
  24. prune — to trim

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