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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: trunk · fan · mug · can · season · bear · bat · pit

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. can — a tin
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — a tin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — of the year
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pit — a hole
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mug — a cup
  21. season — in sport
  22. mug — a face
  23. bear — the animal
  24. can — to be able to

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