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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: trunk · spring · safe · face · nail · straw · kid · cell

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. face — to point toward
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. face — to confront
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. face — part of the head
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cell — in biology
  16. spring — of water
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cell — a phone
  20. spring — a coil
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — the season
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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