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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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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: safe · file · mark · straw · trunk · snap · bark · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. mark — a grade
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mate — a partner
  11. snap — to click
  12. mate — to breed
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bark — to shout
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a document

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