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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: ruler · safe · perch · sharp · mine · roll · track · trunk

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. perch — the fish
  10. track — a song
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. sharp — clever
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. roll — a cake
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. sharp — exactly
  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