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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: cap · mug · trunk · nail · last · row · racket · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cap — a hat
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mug — a face
  8. last — final
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wound — an injury
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — finally
  15. cap — a lid
  16. last — to go on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. row — a line
  21. cap — of ice
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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