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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 120 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
468
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: prune · racket · spell · wind · safe · tube · calf · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. spell — magic
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. prune — to trim
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wind — moving air
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — the underground
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. prune — to trim
  24. racket — a loud noise

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