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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: safe · prune · hand · content · calf · land · file · bound

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bound — obliged
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. land — ground
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. file — a document
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — certain
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. content — happy
  21. bound — tied together
  22. land — a country
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hand — help

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