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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 116 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: prune · spring · sharp · safe · board · straw · shower · fine

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — all right
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fine — high quality
  12. shower — to wash
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. board — to get on
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — rain
  18. board — a committee
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — of water
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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