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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.

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: staff · straw · prune · bark · fork · mug · roll · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. staff — employees
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mug — a face
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. roll — a cake
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. roll — a list
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — a stick
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. staff — employees
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fork — in a road

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