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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 116 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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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: band · trunk · safe · charge · file · straw · tear · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. band — a ring
  4. tear — to rip
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. charge — in control
  9. tear — from crying
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. degree — temperature
  12. charge — electricity
  13. file — a tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. degree — an amount
  21. file — a document
  22. charge — a price
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. tear — from crying

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