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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 120 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 · plane · net · straw · kick · wave · prune · press

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. net — in sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. net — after costs
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kick — in football
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. press — to push
  24. kick — with a leg

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