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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 · calf · bulb · press · branch · straw · safe · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — a publisher
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cell — in biology
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bulb — for light
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bulb — for light
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — to push
  24. safe — a strongbox

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