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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: calf · safe · rush · bat · prune · straw · season · trunk

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. season — in sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. season — of the year
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rush — hurry
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. straw — dry grass

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