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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 · net · bulb · branch · straw · wake · race · spell

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — for catching
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. net — after costs
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bulb — for light
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. spell — a short time
  18. net — in sport
  19. branch — a division
  20. spell — magic
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. branch — of a bank

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