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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: hand · trunk · scale · date · lash · safe · cabinet · mouse

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. scale — in music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. scale — for weighing

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