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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: fan · safe · mate · prune · cabinet · wake · row · staff

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mate — a friend
  10. staff — a stick
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. row — a line
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wake — a trail
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. prune — to trim
  23. staff — employees
  24. fan — to cool the air

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