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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 · rest · pass · capital · trunk · kid · prune · nail

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pass — a permit
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. capital — money
  5. prune — to trim
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kid — to tease
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rest — a break
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. capital — a city
  23. rest — what's left
  24. nail — for a hammer

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