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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: squash · saw · cold · bay · snap · leaves · pound · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cold — an illness
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. snap — to click
  9. cold — not warm
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. squash — the sport

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