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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 120 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
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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: deal · ground · clip · field · safe · trunk · straw · coach

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ground — a position
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — to cut
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. ground — crushed
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. field — for sport
  14. clip — for paper
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ground — the earth
  18. clip — a video
  19. field — farmland
  20. deal — to handle
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. field — a subject
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. safe — a strongbox

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