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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · prune · wind · season · spell · safe · calf · saw

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wind — moving air
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. season — in sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. spell — a short time
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — magic
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. season — of the year
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. saw — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spell — letters
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. calf — a young animal

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