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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: trunk · kid · branch · safe · wound · last · foot · swing

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. branch — a division
  4. swing — music
  5. last — to go on
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. last — final
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — an injury
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kid — to tease
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. swing — in golf
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. swing — to play on
  22. kid — child
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. safe — a strongbox

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