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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 120 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: wind · pass · wound · safe · snap · hand · trunk · bark

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pass — a permit
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. snap — to click

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