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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: leaves · squash · bat · bass · straw · current · trunk · deal

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. current — happening now
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bass — the fish
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. current — of water
  20. bass — low music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. current — electric
  24. trunk — of a car

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