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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: bat · trunk · dip · net · straw · can · last · saw

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. last — final
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. last — to go on
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. last — finally
  13. can — to be able to
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. net — for catching
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bat — the animal
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — a straw man

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