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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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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: cold · prune · rash · safe · swing · trunk · dip · straw

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. rash — hasty
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. swing — to play on
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. swing — music
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. prune — to trim
  24. swing — in golf

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