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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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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: rock · trunk · mouse · firm · pitcher · lash · mine · cabinet

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. firm — decided
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. firm — steady
  7. rock — a stone
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. firm — a company
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mouse — 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