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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: kid · object · degree · bulb · trunk · coach · safe · chest

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — to tease
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bulb — for light
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. object — a thing
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. object — an aim
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. chest — of your body
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chest — of your body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. object — to protest
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chest — a box
  24. trunk — of a tree

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