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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: trunk · squash · snap · bass · racket · firm · bulb · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. squash — the sport
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. snap — to click
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. firm — steady
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. squash — to crush
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. racket — for tennis
  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