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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: dip · trunk · present · court · straw · staff · pop · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pop — to visit
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of law
  7. pop — soda
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — music
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. present — the time now
  15. staff — a stick
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. present — a gift
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. present — there
  22. dip — to sink
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — a straw man

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