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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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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bass — low music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chip — to eat
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bank — for money
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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