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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: mug · wind · branch · safe · straw · craft · kick · pop

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pop — to visit
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pop — music
  9. craft — boats
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mug — a face
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mug — to rob
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pop — soda
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — in football

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