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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: safe · cue · straw · spell · branch · wave · spring · kid

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. kid — child
  4. spell — a short time
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cue — a signal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. spring — of water
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spell — letters
  15. spring — the season
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cue — a hint
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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