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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · trunk · safe · straw · stem · spell · wound · dip

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — magic
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — to come from
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. dip — to sink
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. dip — to dunk

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