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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: chest · dip · suit · trunk · bay · squash · fall · saw

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. squash — the sport
  4. suit — to fit
  5. chest — of your body
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. suit — in cards
  8. fall — the season
  9. chest — a box
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. dip — to sink
  21. squash — to crush
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a tree

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