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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: bat · clip · bass · trunk · lash · staff · bank · stick

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bank — for money
  3. bat — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bank — for money
  17. staff — employees
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — a video
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. clip — for paper

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