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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: straw · saw · mine · rule · club · trunk · wind · squash

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. squash — to crush
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. club — for golf
  10. wind — moving air
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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