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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · straw · rash · mouse · club · wake · pop · hide

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. 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. club — for golf
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. club — a group
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pop — music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pop — soda
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. 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