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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: arm · dip · hide · snap · trunk · squash · mine · court

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. court — of law
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — of a king
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. court — for sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. squash — to crush
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. snap — to click
  24. dip — to sink

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