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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rock — a stone
  5. can — a tin
  6. bank — for money
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rock — music
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. net — after costs
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. scale — in music
  15. can — a tin
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bank — of a river
  22. scale — size or range
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bat — the animal

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