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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: saw · trunk · squash · wake · pitcher · scale · hide · chair

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — size or range
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — in music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. squash — to crush
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. squash — the sport

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