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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.

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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bear — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rash — a series
  18. kid — to tease
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mine — for digging
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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