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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 · foot · cabinet · game · bat · firm · prune

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. game — wild animals
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. game — a match
  11. bat — the animal
  12. firm — a company
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. firm — steady
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. foot — the bottom

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