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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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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: bear · wound · ruler · cold · safe · scale · trunk · nail

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — in music
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. scale — size or range
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cold — an illness
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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