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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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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: bear · lash · deal · straw · branch · trunk · safe · club

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. club — a group
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. club — for dancing
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. branch — a division
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bear — the animal
  19. club — for golf
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. straw — a straw man

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