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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: safe · lash · staff · trunk · scale · roll · cabinet · game

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a match
  13. scale — in music
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. scale — size or range
  17. roll — a cake
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. staff — a stick
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. game — wild animals
  23. roll — a list
  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