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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: ground · degree · scale · safe · straw · toast · bear · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ground — the earth
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. degree — from a university
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. toast — bread
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bear — the animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — size or range
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ground — crushed
  19. degree — an amount
  20. scale — in music
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. ground — a position
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. toast — the most admired

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