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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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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: bat · kid · straw · trunk · leaves · hide · safe · fine

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kid — child
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kid — to tease
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fine — all right
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bat — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. safe — a strongbox

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