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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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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: wake · can · trunk · cabinet · deal · stick · straw · perch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wake — a trail
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — a tin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. can — a tin
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. deal — to handle
  15. can — to be able to
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. perch — the fish
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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