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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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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: trunk · bat · shower · roll · wave · stand · game · cue

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. shower — to wash
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cue — for pool
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. game — wild animals
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stand — to bear

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