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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: straw · band · nail · fall · pop · kid · safe · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pop — to visit
  3. band — a ring
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fall — to drop
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. pop — soda
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a music group
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pop — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. kid — child
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — the season
  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