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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: snap · coach · stand · straw · hide · trunk · bat · bass

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bass — low music
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stand — to bear
  13. snap — to click
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bass — the fish
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bat — the animal

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