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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: board · trunk · mate · pop · straw · bound · wake · safe

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. board — to get on
  3. bound — certain
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pop — music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pop — soda
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mate — to breed
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. board — a committee
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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