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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 · wind · craft · cue · net · prune · field · arm

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. field — a subject
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cue — a hint
  6. net — in sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. net — for catching
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cue — for pool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — a skill
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — after costs
  19. cue — a signal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. field — for sport

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