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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 120 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: mug · fan · bat · deal · ground · bay · wind · trunk

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ground — a position
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mug — a face
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mug — a cup
  24. deal — a big deal

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