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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. perch — the fish
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. content — happy
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. band — a ring
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. band — a music group
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kid — child
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. content — the amount
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kid — to tease
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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