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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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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: straw · cap · kick · firm · tube · safe · hand · perch

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — a hat
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. kick — in football
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hand — in cards
  14. perch — the fish
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. firm — a company
  19. hand — help
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cap — a lid
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. safe — out of danger

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