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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.

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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: staff · mine · saw · straw · prune · safe · wind · bowl

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mine — for digging
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bowl — a football final

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