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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fork — in a road
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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