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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. object — a thing
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. object — to protest
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pound — a weight
  11. branch — a division
  12. object — an aim
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. perch — the fish
  18. court — of law
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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