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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: wound · straw · trunk · dip · pitcher · mate · prune · safe

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. prune — to trim
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mate — a partner
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mate — a friend
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mate — to breed
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitcher — a jug

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