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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 116 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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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: face · object · trunk · nail · kid · wake · bat · straw

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kid — child
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. face — part of the head
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. object — an aim
  12. face — to confront
  13. object — to protest
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. object — a thing
  18. bat — the animal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. kid — to tease
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. straw — dry grass

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