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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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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: wake · wound · straw · trunk · firm · court · toast · scale

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. scale — in music
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. firm — decided
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. scale — size or range
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. court — of law
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. firm — a company
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wound — an injury
  19. firm — steady
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. court — for sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. court — of a king
  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