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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: pitcher · hide · firm · last · kid · swing · trunk · bank

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. last — final
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — in golf
  10. firm — a company
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. firm — decided
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — for money
  16. firm — steady
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bank — of a river
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — finally
  23. kid — to tease
  24. last — to go on

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