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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bank — of a river
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. snap — to click
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — to crush
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. present — there
  16. bank — for money
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the sport
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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