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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bass — the fish
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bass — low music
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. board — a committee
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bark — to shout
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. board — to get on
  19. wake — a trail
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bark — of a tree

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