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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: sharp · safe · wound · row · chair · scale · clip · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. scale — size or range
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. row — to paddle
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. scale — in music
  7. clip — a video
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wound — an injury
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chair — a leader
  23. clip — to cut
  24. sharp — exactly

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