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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: snap · safe · march · trunk · band · hand · lash · mouse

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — help
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. hand — in cards
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. band — a music group
  12. snap — to click
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. band — a ring

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