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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: trunk · hide · cap · row · squash · bat · mug · bass

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mug — a cup
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cap — a lid
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. squash — the sport
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mug — a face
  13. row — a line
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bass — low music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cap — of ice
  24. hide — to keep secret

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