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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: stick · nail · bear · branch · safe · straw · date · net

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — for catching
  7. branch — a division
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. net — in sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. net — after costs
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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