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

Word bank: bank · trunk · snap · straw · bass · cabinet

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bank — for money
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the fish
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. snap — to click
  7. bank — for money
  8. bass — low music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. straw — dry grass

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