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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 116 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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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: snap · spring · hide · trunk · land · mouse

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. land — a country
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. spring — of water
  5. land — to come down
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spring — the season
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. snap — to click
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. land — ground

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