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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: bat · bark · trunk · straw · vault · firm · can · clip

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. firm — steady
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. firm — a company
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bark — to shout
  16. firm — decided
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. vault — a safe
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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