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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: net · straw · rash · roll · hand · trunk · hide · firm

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rash — hasty
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — for catching
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. roll — a cake
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. firm — a company
  12. rash — a series
  13. firm — steady
  14. net — in sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hand — help
  17. net — after costs
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. roll — a list
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. firm — decided
  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