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

Word bank: stick · bay · pound · stem · ball · trunk · bat · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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. pound — for dogs
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. snap — to click
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pound — a weight
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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